With more than $20 million in annual sales, the Dave & Buster’s restaurant just outside of San Jose, Calif., has always ranked among the top-grossing units in the Dallas-based chain. Some of the unit’s success can be attributed to its location in the Great Mall of Milpitas, which is accessible from two major freeways. In 2006, the restaurant accomplished not only the biggest increase in year-over-year sales and profitability, but it also recorded the lowest hourly and management turnover—76 percent for hourly workers and zero percent for managers. The unit’s performance garnered general manager Tim Weiderhoft the title of GM of the Year for Dave & Buster’s, which owns and operates 45 units throughout North America. The accomplishment is even more remarkable given that seven years ago, Weiderhoft was a server at Dave & Buster’s trying to put himself through school to become an ophthalmologist.
What happened to your plans of becoming an eye doctor?
I was going to school at night and working during the day as an optometrist. But I needed to switch to taking classes at day and working at night. The [Milpitas] Dave & Buster’s just opened. I had so much fun doing it. I started making a lot more money, became a trainer and a shift leader.
Sometimes servers make more money than managers, so servers are less interested in getting into management.
I was making $60,000 as a server. [Managers in training] do not make that kind of money. But my manager talked to me about big-picture thinking.
He said, “You may take two steps back right now, but you’ll be taking 10 steps forward down the road.”
It sounds like you received good coaching along the way. Has that helped you as a manager?
Definitely. All these personal accolades and awards and stuff, but what really makes me feel good is I can name four GMs that came from working with me, and six managers.
How do you keep employees?
One focus of mine is approachability. What so often happens is the top-end guy is so preoccupied with driving sales and profitability he becomes less apt to say: “Hey, let’s sit down and talk. Let’s talk about your hockey team in the playoff or about your dog that got run over. I’m here for you.”
When you have a connection with people, they see you as the coach they want to play their best for. They’re not worried about being caught doing something wrong, but want you to catch them doing something right.
