Managing a team isn’t easy, especially in the restaurant business. Between staffing shortages, demanding customers, and long hours, it’s easy to fall into habits that don’t serve your employees — or your bottom line. I’ve reflected on mistakes I’ve made as an employer and seen countless others struggle with the same challenges. As a speaker who works with countless franchises and restaurant operators, I’ve observed a lot of what hurts and what helps. Here are 10 common ways managers unknowingly harm their employees, along with actionable ways to fix them.
1. Ignoring Culture
Culture isn’t just about how you treat people; it’s about the social norms that govern your team’s behavior. It’s how they communicate, resolve conflicts, and treat each other. Every team has a culture — it might be positive and productive, or it might be toxic. If you’re not actively shaping it, you risk letting it evolve in ways that harm your employees and your business.
Building a great culture requires deliberate effort. It starts with defining your values and making sure they’re reflected in every aspect of your operation. These values should shape how employees treat customers, interact with each other, and approach their work. It’s not enough to talk about culture — you need to live it. Managers set the tone, so it’s critical to model the behaviors you want to see. When employees see their leaders embodying the values of the organization, they’re more likely to do the same.
Celebrating culture is just as important as creating it. Recognize employees who demonstrate the values you’ve set and share their successes with the team. These moments reinforce what’s important and inspire others to follow suit.
Tips for Building a Great Culture:
- Define your values. Be clear about what your team stands for and how you expect employees to behave.
- Lead by example. Demonstrate the values and behaviors you want your employees to adopt.
- Celebrate culture wins. Highlight employees who embody your values to reinforce positive behaviors.
2. Taking Culture for Granted
Many managers think they have a great culture because they treat employees “like family.” They’ll point to gestures like buying team lunches, throwing holiday parties, or celebrating birthdays. While these efforts are nice, they don’t guarantee a strong culture. Culture goes deeper than perks — it’s about how people feel when they come to work, how they relate to one another, and whether they’re aligned with shared values.
Maintaining culture requires consistent attention. Pre-shift meetings are a great time to remind employees of your values, share team goals, and recognize achievements. These daily touchpoints can help keep your culture front and center, even during busy times. It’s also important to regularly measure how your team feels about the work environment. If people aren’t aligned with your values or don’t feel supported, your culture will start to drift in the wrong direction.
You can’t assume your culture is thriving just because things seem to be going well. Great culture requires constant reinforcement, clear communication, and a willingness to address small issues before they escalate. The best leaders are proactive, ensuring their teams feel supported and connected to the mission.
Tips for Maintaining Culture:
- Measure it regularly. Use surveys or informal feedback to gauge how employees feel.
- Reinforce values during touchpoints. Use pre-shift meetings to remind the team of shared goals and celebrate wins.
- Monitor for cultural drift. Pay attention to behaviors that may stray from your values and address them early.
3. Not Applying the Right Amount of Leadership
Leadership is about balance. Too much involvement, and you’re micromanaging. Too little, and employees feel unsupported. Both extremes lead to frustration, disengagement, and a breakdown in trust. Employees need guidance, but they also need room to do their jobs and grow.
When managers micromanage, employees often feel stifled and disrespected. They don’t have the freedom to make decisions or develop their skills because they’re constantly second-guessed. Over time, this kills initiative and creativity, turning employees into passive workers who only do what they’re told. On the other hand, managers who are too hands-off can create an environment of uncertainty. Employees may feel neglected, unsure of expectations, or overwhelmed without proper guidance.
The right amount of leadership depends on the individual and the situation. Newer employees or those struggling with a task might need closer supervision, coaching, and encouragement. High performers with more experience often thrive with autonomy and trust. Effective leaders adjust their involvement based on what the employee needs to succeed, not just what’s easiest for the manager.
Regular check-ins are an excellent way to find this balance. These can be quick one-on-one conversations to ask how things are going, offer support, and provide constructive feedback. The goal is to stay connected and engaged without overstepping.
Tip for Balancing Leadership:
- Assess individual needs. Evaluate the level of guidance and support each employee requires based on their skills and confidence.
- Set clear expectations. Clearly outline tasks, goals, and deadlines so employees know what’s expected of them.
- Follow up thoughtfully. Check in regularly to monitor progress, provide feedback, and offer support without micromanaging.
4. Busyness
Managers are often pulled in a million directions, juggling customer demands, operational tasks, and staffing challenges. It’s easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day grind that you overlook your most important responsibility: your people. When busyness takes over, employees can feel ignored and unimportant, which leads to disengagement and missed opportunities for growth.
I watched this when my daughter Peyton started her first job at a popular burger chain. She loved working the register and wanted to do her best. One day, after her shift, she mustered the courage to ask her manager, “How am I doing?” The response she got disappointed me: “I don’t know. I haven’t been watching you.” Peyton’s manager was so consumed with other tasks that she failed to provide even basic feedback. She could have offered to watch her on another shift, but she didn’t. Peyton stopped asking and never got the guidance she needed to grow.
Busyness isn’t just a manager problem — it becomes an employee problem. Without attention from their leaders, employees are left to guess whether they’re meeting expectations or improving. This uncertainty can lead to mistakes, lower confidence, and a lack of motivation.
The truth is, being busy is inevitable in this business, but how you prioritize your time is what makes the difference. Delegating operational tasks to other team members allows you to focus on your people. Setting aside time to observe, coach, and provide feedback shows employees that they matter. Even small interactions —l ike a quick “good job” during a shift — can have a huge impact.
Tips to Avoid Too Much Busyness:
- Delegate operational tasks. Identify tasks that others can handle, freeing you to focus on coaching and leadership.
- Schedule observation time. Spend 15 minutes a day watching and coaching one or two employees.
- Stay present during shifts. Take moments to engage with your team, offer feedback, and build relationships.
5. Treating Everyone the Same
It’s natural to want to be fair as a manager, but fairness doesn’t mean treating everyone identically. Employees are individuals with unique strengths, challenges, and needs. By treating everyone the same, you risk alienating top performers, frustrating those who need extra support, and failing to create an environment where everyone can thrive.
Great employees want to feel recognized and valued for their contributions. When they see their efforts going unnoticed — or worse, treated the same as mediocre work — it can demotivate them. At the same time, struggling employees may feel overlooked if their challenges aren’t acknowledged or addressed.
Fairness means giving each person what they need to succeed. For top performers, this might mean more trust, autonomy, or additional opportunities. For those who are struggling, it might mean extra coaching, guidance, or even a firm conversation. The goal isn’t to create inequality but to meet people where they are and help them improve.
Tailoring your approach to individual needs not only shows employees that you value them, but it also creates a stronger team. When employees feel seen and supported, they’re more likely to stay engaged and perform their best.
Tips for Managing Fairly:
- Categorize performance levels. Identify top performers, steady contributors, and those who need improvement.
- Adjust rewards and support. Recognize top performers publicly while offering extra coaching to others.
- Adapt communication styles. Use different approaches based on personality types and preferences.
6. Ignoring Soft Needs
Employees have emotional needs just like customers do. They want to feel valued, supported, and part of something bigger. These needs are less tangible than a paycheck but just as critical for motivation and retention.
Think about how your team members feel during their shifts. Do they feel seen and appreciated? Are their concerns addressed? When employees’ soft needs are met, they’re more likely to go above and beyond. Meeting these needs isn’t just about being nice — it’s about creating an environment where employees are motivated to give their best.
This is something I emphasize in my hourly employee management training course: when leaders focus on meeting employees’ emotional needs, they not only boost morale but also improve overall performance. Small efforts — like offering genuine praise, creating opportunities for collaboration, and listening to concerns — make a big impact.
Tips for Meeting Soft Needs:
- Ask check-in questions. For example, “What’s one thing we can do to make work better for you?”
- Create recognition rituals. Celebrate small wins with a quick thank-you or team acknowledgment.
- Foster inclusion. Encourage collaboration and make everyone feel like part of the team.
7. Relying on External Rewards
Bonuses, raises, and prizes are great motivators — up to a point. While they can encourage short-term performance, they aren’t enough to keep employees engaged over the long haul. Intrinsic motivation — when employees feel pride in their work and connection to a larger purpose — is what drives lasting commitment and high performance.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking financial incentives will solve all motivation problems. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a bigger paycheck or a gift card? But over time, employees begin to see these rewards as expectations rather than motivators. The real key to keeping people engaged is helping them find meaning in their roles. When employees understand how their work impacts customers, coworkers, and the business as a whole, they feel more invested in their success.
Creating intrinsic motivation doesn’t require dramatic gestures. Small, meaningful moments — like sharing customer feedback, recognizing employees’ contributions, or encouraging them to take ownership of their work — can transform the way they feel about their jobs. By showing employees that their efforts matter, you foster a sense of pride and purpose that external rewards alone can’t provide.
Tips for Inspiring Intrinsic Motivation:
- Highlight impact. Share customer feedback or positive reviews to show employees how their work matters.
- Encourage ownership. Give employees a say in decisions that affect their roles.
- Model enthusiasm. Your attitude sets the tone — show them you’re excited about the work.
8. Managing Their Work While Ignoring Their Growth
It’s easy to focus on the daily grind: getting pizzas boxed, orders delivered, and tables turned. After all, these tasks are essential to keeping your restaurant running smoothly. But employees want more than just a paycheck for completing tasks — they want to feel like they’re growing, improving, and developing skills that will serve them in the future.
When managers focus solely on the work that needs to get done, they miss an opportunity to inspire and retain their employees. Workers who feel they’re stagnating are more likely to disengage, lose motivation, or look for growth opportunities elsewhere. Conversely, when you show interest in their development, employees feel valued and are more likely to stay committed to your team.
Growth doesn’t have to mean promotions or dramatic changes. It can be as simple as learning a new skill, taking on a leadership role for a shift, or getting constructive feedback to improve their performance. By creating opportunities for growth, you help employees see a path forward and foster a stronger sense of loyalty and pride in their work.
Tips for Managing Their Growth:
- Set development goals. Work with employees to identify one skill to improve and one strength to enhance.
- Provide learning resources. Share books, videos, or training materials relevant to their role.
- Offer leadership opportunities. Let employees take on tasks that challenge and develop their abilities.
9. Treating Them as Workers, Not People
Employees are more than the work they do — they’re individuals with lives, challenges, and aspirations. When managers focus only on the tasks employees complete, it creates a transactional relationship. Employees start to feel like interchangeable parts of a machine rather than valued members of a team. This can lead to disengagement, resentment, or even turnover.
Treating employees as people doesn’t mean overstepping boundaries or getting overly personal. It’s about showing genuine care and interest in their well-being. Small gestures, like remembering their favorite coffee or asking how their weekend was, can make a big impact. Employees who feel seen and valued are more likely to bring their full energy and effort to work.
One of the most important ways to treat employees as people is to acknowledge their milestones and challenges. Whether it’s celebrating a birthday, recognizing a personal achievement, or offering flexibility during a tough time, these actions show that you care about them beyond their output. This builds loyalty and fosters a positive work environment.
Tips for Managing Them as People:
- Learn personal details. Ask about their families, hobbies, or goals outside of work.
- Acknowledge milestones. Celebrate birthdays, graduations, or work anniversaries.
- Be flexible when needed. Offer understanding and accommodations during personal challenges.
10. Thoughtless Reprimands
Years ago, I made a mistake I still think about. Two employees were chatting too much in the kitchen, and I scolded them right there in front of their peers. I thought I was setting a clear standard about focus and productivity, but instead, I embarrassed them. They didn’t walk away reflecting on their behavior — they were probably thinking about mine. Worse, it likely sent a message to the rest of the team that mistakes would be met with public humiliation.
Looking back, I realize I could’ve handled it differently. A private conversation would have allowed me to address the issue without damaging their confidence or the team dynamic. I could have calmly explained how their behavior affected the workflow and invited their thoughts on how to stay focused going forward. That would have made it clear that I cared about their growth and success — not just about enforcing the rules.
Tips for Adjusting Behavior Thoughtfully:
- Handle reprimands in private. Avoid embarrassing employees in front of others.
- Focus on solutions. Use phrases like, “Next time, let’s try…” to make it constructive.
- Stay calm. Approach the situation with a steady tone and stick to the facts.
Final Thoughts
Managing a restaurant team isn’t just about ensuring operations run smoothly; it’s about inspiring, developing, and retaining great employees. By focusing on your people, your culture, and your leadership, you create a workplace where employees thrive, customers feel the difference, and your business grows.
AUTHOR BIO: Scott Greenberg is a speaker, writer and business coach and the author of the book, Stop the SHIFT SHOW: Turn Your Struggling Hourly Workers into a Top-Performing Team, and creator of HEMS: The Hourly Employee Management System. Find more information at www.scottgreenberg.com.
