The Leadership Tool You're Avoiding

I used to dread one-on-ones.

Not because I didn't care about my team. I cared deeply. But as an introvert, the idea of sitting down and intentionally asking someone hard questions felt awkward and forced.

I told myself I didn't really need them. I was on the floor. I was visible. I knew my people.

I didn't know my people.

I was getting the highlight reel. The polished version. The "everything's fine" version. And by the time I found out what was actually going on, it was usually too late.

If you're running multiple locations and you feel like you're always the last to know when something's wrong, when a key employee is about to quit, when your team is frustrated, when small problems have already become big ones, you're not alone. I wrote Multi-Unit Mastery to give operators a framework for building the systems that prevent these blind spots. Grab your free copy here.

Here's the real cost of avoiding these conversations:

I talked to an owner recently who lost 15 line cooks in one location last year. At roughly $5,000 per hourly employee in recruiting, training, and lost productivity, that's $75,000 gone. When I asked if he did one-on-ones with those employees, he said no.

When I asked why, he said the people who come to work for them aren't looking for a long-term job. They're just looking for a job.

That mindset is costing him his team.

People don't leave jobs because of money. They leave because of who they're working for. And if you're not sitting down with your people, asking real questions, and actually listening, you'll never know what's really going on until they hand you their notice.

What changes when you commit to one-on-ones:

• You identify problems before they blow up

• You build trust that makes hard conversations easier

• You develop your own coaching skills

• You create a culture where people actually tell you the truth

The key is how you introduce them. If you suddenly start pulling people aside for "meetings," everyone's going to think they're in trouble. Be transparent. Tell your team: We want to understand how to support you better. We want to know what's working and what's not. This isn't a performance conversation, it's a feedback conversation.

That one conversation up front changes everything about how they receive the invitation.

Five questions to start with:

1. What's one thing that frustrated you this week that I should know about?

2. What decision did you have to make that you weren't sure about?

3. Is there anything you stopped bringing up because nothing changes?

4. What's one thing I could do differently to support you better?

5. If you were thinking about leaving, would you tell me? Why or why not?

That last one is the question most leaders are terrified to ask, and the one that tells you everything.

You don't need a full hour. Start with 15 minutes, once a week, with one person. Ask two of these questions and just listen. Don't react. Don't get defensive. Take notes, process the feedback, and come back the next day with fresh eyes.

Six months after implementing this practice, one of our clients had zero manager turnover. He finally knew what was actually happening in his restaurants.

The goal isn't to never lose anyone. The goal is to create a space where people can tell you the truth. Once you're in that space, everything else follows.

Want to go deeper on this? I break down the full framework, including the $75,000 problem, how to introduce one-on-ones without scaring your team, and more questions to ask, in this week's episode of The Restaurant Leadership Podcast. Listen to the full episode here.

Christin

The Business of Restoration

The word "restaurant" comes from the French word meaning "to restore."

Think about that for a second. We're in the business of restoration. Of filling people back up. Of sending guests out into the world better than when they walked in.

But here's the question I want you to sit with this week:

When was the last time you restored yourself?

Most operators I coach are running on empty. They're pouring into their guests, their team, their systems and leaving nothing for themselves. They tell me they'll rest when things slow down. They'll take care of themselves once they get through this next push.

But it never slows down. There's always another push.

If you're an operator juggling multiple locations and you've become the bottleneck in your own business, where nothing moves forward without you, let's talk. I work with multi-unit restaurant owners who are ready to stop surviving and start building something sustainable. Book a call with me here.

I know what it feels like to be in that place.

I was exhausted. I wasn't eating well. I wasn't taking care of myself. I was running on fumes and telling myself it was just the cost of doing business. Everyone in this industry does it, right?

And then I got a coach.

Not because I had it all figured out. Because I finally admitted I didn't.

Working with a coach forced me to slow down. To step back from the day-to-day chaos and ask questions I'd been avoiding for years:

• Where do I actually want to spend my time?

• What's draining me that I could let go of?

• What would my life look like if I wasn't always in survival mode?

It felt counterintuitive at first. Slowing down when there's so much to do? Taking time to think when there are fires to put out every single day?

But here's what I learned: slowing down is how you speed up.

When you create space to reflect, you stop making reactive decisions. You start making intentional ones. You see the patterns you've been too busy to notice. You build systems instead of just surviving another week.

Restoration isn't selfish. It's strategic.

If you're depleted, your business feels it. Your team feels it. Your family feels it. You can't pour from an empty cup. And you can't scale a business while running yourself into the ground.

The restaurant industry has glorified the grind for too long. We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. But burnout isn't dedication, it's a warning sign.

You're in the business of restoration. It's time to start with yourself.

If you're tired of feeling like the bottleneck in your own business, if you're ready to build something that doesn't require you to sacrifice your health, your relationships, or your sanity, I'd love to connect. No pitch, just a conversation about where you are and where you want to go. Grab a time on my calendar.

Christin

The Exit You're Not Planning For

𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁.

But every owner exits eventually.

You either sell to an outside buyer. Sell to an investor. Sell to your employees. Or close the doors.

Those are your options. All of them.

The question isn't 𝘪𝘧 you'll exit. It's 𝘩𝘰𝘸.

And here's what determines whether you walk away with something—or walk away with nothing:

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

If the answer is no, you don't have a business. You have a job. One that owns you.

I've watched owners try to sell restaurants they've poured 15 years into—only to realize no one wants to buy a business that falls apart the moment the owner leaves.

The buyer does their due diligence. They see the owner working 70-hour weeks. They see managers who can't make decisions without approval. They see a business held together by one person's willpower.

And they walk away.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

If you're the one placing orders, solving every crisis, and holding all the knowledge in your head—you've built a trap, not an asset.

The fix? Systems and people.

→ Documented processes so anyone can step into a role

→ Managers with real decision-making authority

→ A team that solves problems without calling you

This is exactly what I help restaurant owners build. If you want the framework for creating a business that runs without you, it’s right here.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿:

Your exit strategy isn't something you figure out when you're ready to leave.

It's something you build every single day—in the systems you create and the people you develop.

Start now. Not when you're burned out. Not when you're desperate to sell. Now.

Because the owners who build businesses that run without them?

They're the ones who actually get to choose how they leave.

Ready to build a business you can actually sell someday? Get the Independent Restaurant Framework at https://www.IRFbook.com.

#RestaurantLeadership #ExitStrategy #MultiUnitMastery

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸.

I know that stings. But if you've ever felt that pull, knowing there's more opportunity but you just don't have the energy to chase it, you're probably the bottleneck.

I was too.

After three years of coaching restaurant operators, I realized I was doing the sales, the marketing, the podcasts, the books, the coaching. All of it. And I hit a wall. The same wall I help my clients break through every day.

So I developed a framework to get out of my own way. It works for multi-unit operators too.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

Not where you think you should be. Where do you add the most value? For me, it was coaching and building relationships. Not email automations or social media scheduling.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Are you the visionary or the integrator? The relationship builder or the systems thinker? You can't be everything, and trying to be is what's keeping you stuck.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲.

Before you scale, get clear on the seats that need to be filled. Then find people whose strengths complement your weaknesses.

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? Grab a free copy of 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 now. It walks you through the people, process, and profit systems that let you scale without burning out.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.

If you're opening another location or stepping back from day-to-day operations, who owns accountability when you're not there? How will you communicate so your team still feels seen?

Being an entrepreneur is lonely. Building a community and finding the right partners changed everything for me. I brought on Andrew Mangan as my COO, someone I'd worked with for over 10 years. We defined roles, revamped our mission, and built a clear roadmap. Suddenly I could breathe again.

Your business can't outgrow you if you refuse to let go.

The question isn't whether you're capable of doing everything. It's whether doing everything is costing you the growth you actually want.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 where I break down this entire journey on The Restaurant Leadership Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220802/episodes/18752681

Christin