I agree with the above post for incentive for the EC, but I have to ask, … What statistical program do you have available as a tool to manage the restaurant?  … Is the reports available for the  EC use too?
 
Most electronic cash registrars at the end of day will give the total number of sales and average price of each sale.  Some will have a basic break-down of categories.   … A complete/good statistical program will not only do the basics, but also tie to inventory, man hours per department (cooks, wait-staff, busboys, ect), and show info about sales for each item listed on the menu.
With this info, a EC can control labor cost (scheduling), inventory (too small =>lost sales – too large => increased waste), menu item tracking (order, but returned by customer (problem with cook (??) or quality of product (??)), seasonal sales differences (adjust staff & inventory for lighter or heaver sales volume), show if different promotions are working (increased sale volume).  A good EC should then see problems and taken steps for correction.
 
For you as the owner, this should demonstrate how well the restaurant is functioning, show any problem areas, and how effective your EC is at managing his resources/restaurant.

Indy, I am a firm believer that all permanent employees should have their income tied, to some degree, to the bottom line. This makes operating at a profit a team effort. I have first hand seen my profits increase after my permanent employees started watching the bottom line. A surprising thing to me was how differently they treated the temporary employees. They wanted all players on their team to preform at their best. Why?… because it made a difference in how much money went home in their pockets.
 
Finding a way to increase your off season profits would, for sure, be a good thing to work on. But… many business have peak times when they need more help. The Christmas holidays are good example for many retailers. An easy saloution is to hire your peek season employees on a temporary basis. They know they are temporary and so does management. Everyone is happy when peak season is over that way.
 
Ownership, in any new business, always has a learning curve. My advice, keep that good EC and let her know your ideas of how peak, and off seasons, will be addressed in the future. And make her as interested in the bottom line as you are. It takes everyone to make a successful team.
 
Hope this helps and keep us posted.
Joe

Every Chef/EC has to react to the owners needs, you hired her, she takes care of your needs and wants. The Chef is also in charge and S/B in control of labor cost control. I would meet with the Chef, talk about labor cost control and what labor is needed in the kitchen during the off season. The Chef/EC will FIGHT this all the way, they shouldn’t but they will. The Chef will control the cost, its part of her job. If she doesn’t care about the profitability of the restaurant, she is of no value. This is cut and dry, cut labor or your gone, this is a business not a play ground………………..Chef Bill…………..P.S. Thats the problem with the EC title, they don’t want to get their hands dirty any more.

 Is it just me who believes that Mr. Jackson owes the O.P. an apology for his thoughtless comment on the last page, ” bet she never returns” ? This kind of attitude is why there are not as many people posting as in the past.
 
  JMHO
 
  David O.

It is a team sport, owners, management and employees, and there will be injuries. But, the bottom line is to keep the franchise intact and complete the mission, which is to stay profitable. The true odyssey is to find the right individuals to make it all work, which is much easier said than done. Been there and done that, and failed but learning. Business is not easy, and this new bunch that we have to deal with in the work force is truly beyond belief as they now look at the outfit paying their bills as the enemy, and I will leave it at that.
 
Mike

I would agree, most Chefs lack the skills on managing employees. They lack the skill of hiring and firing and most of the time are to hot headed when firing the kitchen staff. I put my Chefs on incentives for Sanitation 100% Quality performance review done by my client. Food cost and labor cost incentive and sales goals incentive. I want the Chef not only cooking good food, but always thinking of how they can improve the menu, keep costs in line and not have to much labor around when its not needed. I want them managing the kitchen, WHO knows the kitchen better then them ??????????? I tell my Chefs, if you want more money, earn it. The incentives should be a food cost and labor cost agreed on and put into a contract. I also give all my employee a Christmas Bonus, just because I’m a nice freaking guy………Bill

See there are 3 kinds of people in our world. Book smart people who lack common sense. ( its a proven statistic) street smart people who aren’t that smart book wise, but could survive in just about any situation & always make money.  Then there is the one with both. Me personally. I would prefer to hire someone with experience rather than a college education that says they completed a course on ” How to do it ”  The cert is a great thing to have but unless you have experience, it’s like having that shiny new sportscar everyone wants but no gas to go anywhere.

 
Well said and very true. Give me a maverick that worked his way up the ranks or the guy that just has the natural talent. I heard a story on the radio the other day, Boeing, a tool and die guy, he could not read or write but could build anything you threw in front of him, he WAS the go to guy when everyone else was stumped. He worked there for thirty some years before he retired and his secret was never discovered by management. He more than earned his bacon, and like you said in so many words, a piece of paper is just that, a piece of paper. One needs some simple understanding of the job at hand, and a passion to complete the mission. My Navy Corpsman side… Oooh Rah! The Marine side…
 
Mike
 

A manager is only as good as the people they hire. And you must hire people that are better than you. You also cant expect people to be something they are not or don’t have the tools to do it. Turning your head or demanding that they perform a task wont change it. If they are a great Chef and the patrons love the food then try to find someone else to fill there voids. I run a very large service company. My staff is the reason I am successfull. I am the weakest link in most areas. I will never be able to type with all fingers or balance the books. I am very good at finding talent and utilizing it. The same thing would apply to a restaurant and the chef. If the Chef is talented and I mean really talented see if there is a way to support them with someone else. Hire an assistant, a retired Executive Chef only looking for partime work might bridge the gap and streamline the process. If the food is great you should be able to fix the other stuff. Great Food is the tough part. Put yourself in the shoes of the Chef and try to determine what is needed to succeed. Sit down with her and ask how she would like to be helped. Make her part of the decision. She knows her shortcomings and weaknesses. Never try to make someone something they are not. You must know your limitations and the limitations of your People. Sometimes you have to push the great ones pretty far to find it. Great help is very hard to find and it is even tougher to keep it….Russ

See there are 3 kinds of people in our world. Book smart people who lack common sense. ( its a proven statistic) street smart people who aren’t that smart book wise, but could survive in just about any situation & always make money.  Then there is the one with both. Me personally. I would prefer to hire someone with experience rather than a college education that says they completed a course on ” How to do it ”  The cert is a great thing to have but unless you have experience, it’s like having that shiny new sportscar everyone wants but no gas to go anywhere.

you need a chef that worked there way up the ranks plus schooling now people go to for profit schools  which rip you off and tell
you you are a master chef . if you start washing dishes then prep then cook .like when you had to apprentice for years.then go to a
good school like cia or j&w non profit they teach biz classes. also have a budget tied to bunuses mounthly so the chef knows whats
up if the chef cant staff or budget you need a new one.the chef is not just the head cook they run the whole boh operation.saving
money every where staffing,purchasing.energy.plus come up with ways to increase biz.like cooking classes ,wine dinners,game dinners.
theam nights,etc if they arent on the team get one who is.   and tell them up front how it works and what the budget is and the goals that are to be meet.the chef is a biz executive
not just the food person

as you should Mike. I’m a trailer guy too. I tend to stay away from the snarky comment postings. It just derails the topic & frustrates everyone.

see, alot of people don’t understand the restaurant side of this. There are two different people in the restaurant world. The owners which funded the place & the chef. The chef is the most influential & important person just about in the whole operation. A good chef cares about what is going on around them. They are the ones who build the clientle. The customers come for the service & the food. The chef runs the kitchen, and pretty much does the ordering and makes sure everything is smooth sailing.

If you are cutting back on staff, maybe you can up the salary by a few hundred if possible to compensate for the extra work load. However bear in mind that the chef already has alot on their plate to begin with. Potentially having to sub out some of the work to an understudy or someone. That is a possible new role to bring into the kitchen with the approval of the chef. Since there will be extra workload. an understudy or ” intern ” looking to break into the restaurant scene would JUMP at the opportunity to study under a successful chef. I know I would.  That would humble & be an honor to most any chef I know.

I see alot of people popping up with mobile kitchens having never before done this type of work and offering advice on possible solutions. It makes me grin & smile at the amount of experience they have learned & earned in such a short time. Kudos to them.

 
I’ll take your last comment as a compliment (the trailer guy), as I cannot imagine what this EC and owner are going through as I think this thread through. I have owned a trucking company, a takeout, and now work out of a trailer, and all were/are overwhelming at times. I personally think that if I were doing the numbers that the op is speaking of, that I would add an incentive related to the quarterly profits, the more profits, the more the EC would make. As a business owner myself, if I had to give up an extra 5% (pick you number) to make an extra 20% or 30% (again, pick your number), I would personally consider it a win win just to have the desired harmony. Just saying.

Ive been in & out of the food industry all my life. I’ve worked in banks, mortgage shops, car dealerships, and rotated back into food as it is a highly stressed environment.  Ive seen businesses, restaurants, etc self destruct from the inside out due to having too many chiefs & not enough Indians. To demote someone b/c they don’t want to take a paycut & switch positions is rather a slap in the face. IMHO.  I would let her do her thing and part of owning a business is to weather the slow season and take the hit, Its very hard finding good help. 

*** also be very careful as to cutting salary or decreasing salary due to seasonal work. You might be hearing from the Labor board as in Maryland that is one quick way to get sued not only by the person whos salary you cut, but also by the EEOC.
 
A good chef will pack that house every day to avoid any loss of income too.