How to Get Your Team to Give a S***
I know, I know. You're thinking, "But my team is great! They show up on time and follow the recipes." That's not a team that cares - that's a team that shows up.
The Culture Difference
Here's what separates restaurants that barely survive from those that absolutely crush it: Team culture.
The restaurants with bulletproof team cultures consistently outperform those with "fine" teams. Same market, same competition, same challenges.
The difference? One team treats the restaurant like their side hustle. The other treats it like their empire.
The Reality Check Your Team Needs
Most restaurant teams operate in survival mode:
Show up, clock in, do the minimum
Wait for instructions instead of taking initiative
Treat customers like interruptions to their day
Leave problems for "someone else" to handle
Clock out mentally before they clock out physically
Sound familiar? Yeah, that's not culture. That's employment.
Real team culture looks different:
Staff treat every customer like they're paying their personal bills (because they are)
Problems get solved before management even knows they exist
Everyone owns the guest experience, not just their specific job
Bad performance gets called out by teammates, not just managers
People stay late because they want to, not because they have to
The Team Culture Audit (Be Brutally Honest)
Rate your team 1-5 on each of these. And I mean REALLY rate them, not the wishful thinking version.
Vision Clarity: Can every team member explain your restaurant's mission in their own words? Ownership Mentality: Do staff treat the restaurant like it's their own business? Proactive Problem Solving: Does your team identify and solve issues before they escalate? Mutual Respect: Do all team members treat each other with genuine respect? Quality Standards: Does anyone ever compromise on food/service quality?
If you scored under 20 total, your culture isn't just broken—it's actively costing you money every single day.
The Hiring Scripts That Separate Winners from Time-Wasters
Here's the thing about hiring: Most restaurant owners ask the wrong damn questions. They focus on experience and availability instead of character and mindset.
Stop asking: "Can you work weekends?" Start asking: "Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer. What did you do and why?"
Stop asking: "Do you have serving experience?" Start asking: "Describe your ideal work environment. What brings out your best?"
The right people will light up when you ask about going above and beyond. The wrong people will give you generic, rehearsed answers about "doing their job."
The One Interview Question That Reveals Everything
Want to know if someone will fit your culture? Ask this:
"Tell me about a time you noticed something wrong at work that wasn't technically your responsibility. What did you do?"
Winners will tell you about a time they fixed something, helped someone, or spoke up about an issue. They take ownership beyond their job description.
Losers will tell you it wasn't their job, they told their manager, or they ignored it. These people will kill your culture faster than you can say "two weeks notice."
The Investment That Pays for Itself
Building a team that gives a shit isn't free. You'll invest time in:
Better hiring processes that take longer but find better people
Training that goes beyond "here's how to use the POS system"
Culture development that requires consistent leadership
Higher wages for people who deliver higher value
But here's what that investment gets you:
Lower turnover rates (saving thousands per position)
Higher customer satisfaction scores
Increased average order value
Reduced customer complaints
Sleep at night knowing your restaurant runs without you babysitting every shift
The 30-Day Culture Transformation
Week 1: Audit your current culture honestly. Use our Team Culture Scorecard to see where you really stand.
Week 2: Define your culture. What behaviors do you want? What's unacceptable? Get specific.
Week 3: Start hiring differently. Use our interview scripts to find people who align with your values.
Week 4: Train your existing team on the new standards. Some will rise up, others will quit. Both are wins.
The Bottom Line
Your restaurant's success isn't determined by your rent, your recipes, or your reviews. It's determined by whether your team treats your business like it matters.
You can have the best location in town, but if your team doesn't care, customers will feel it. They'll eat somewhere else. They'll tell their friends to eat somewhere else.
Or you can build a team that genuinely gives a shit. A team that makes customers feel like they matter. A team that turns first-time visitors into regulars, and regulars into evangelists.
The choice is yours. But choose fast, because every day you operate with a mediocre team is another day your competition gets ahead.
Ready to build a team that actually gives a damn?
Download our FREE complete Team Culture Scorecard and proven Hiring Scripts. These are the exact tools I use with clients who've transformed their teams and dramatically increased their profits. Because at the end of the day, your team is either making you money or costing you money. There's no middle ground.
Stop losing money on mediocre staff. Learn the proven hiring scripts and culture-building strategies that transform restaurant teams and increase profitability.
