Why your best hourly employees say no to management

It's not because they're lazy.

It's not because they don't care.

It's because they've watched your managers burn out. And they want no part of it.

At Columbine Hospitality, we help multi-unit operators build a bench of talent so your restaurant can run without you. If you're ready to develop leaders who actually want the role, grab my free book at https://www.IRFbook.com

We've failed our people in three critical ways:

𝟭. 𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀.

Managers working 70-hour weeks. No days off. Taking food orders on vacation. We've normalized this chaos and then wondered why our best servers look at that role and say "no thanks."

𝟮. 𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

Every small problem gets escalated. Every $50 decision needs approval. We've trained our teams to wait for permission instead of think for themselves. And then we're surprised when they don't want the "responsibility" of management.

𝟯. 𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

They have no idea where the money goes. No clue what drives profitability. No understanding of how their work connects to the bigger picture. So they stay disengaged because they can't see where they'd even make an impact.

This is on us.

We've created a management path that looks like a trap, not an opportunity.

And the people smart enough to see it are the exact ones we need leading our teams.

So how do we fix this?

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Ask them: "How do you want to learn and grow?"

Not "here's your training schedule." Not "complete these modules."

Actually ask them what they need. What skills they want to develop. What kind of leader they want to become.

Then have them do the same with their hourly employees.

𝗜𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀: "What does growth look like for you? How do you like to learn new things?"

𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀: "What's one skill you want to develop? What would make this job more interesting for you?"

When people feel seen and invested in, they engage differently. They start to imagine themselves in bigger roles. They stop seeing management as a burden and start seeing it as a path.

But this only works if we actually change the job they'd be stepping into.

Share the numbers. Let them see the P&L. Show them where their decisions move the needle.

Give them real authority. Define what they can solve without calling you. Let them own outcomes, not just tasks.

Protect their time. Build systems so management doesn't mean sacrificing your health, relationships, and sanity.

The best hourly employees aren't saying no to leadership.

They're saying no to what leadership currently looks like in our industry.

Change the job. Change the conversation. And watch who steps up.

Grab the Independent Restaurant Framework at https://www.IRFbook.com — it's the system for building leaders who stay.

#RestaurantLeadership #EmployeeDevelopment #MultiUnitMastery

The Mental Load Nobody Warns You About

A client told me his gym time is non-negotiable.

Every single day. No exceptions.

Not because he's obsessed with fitness. Because it's the only hour where his brain can actually rest.

No fires to put out. No employees texting him. No decisions to make.

Just him, the weights, and whatever thoughts need processing.

"When I skip the gym, I'm worse at home. I'm worse at work. I'm worse at everything."

But then he asked me something powerful:

"Is this sustainable? The business is growing, but the mental load keeps increasing. I don't know how long I can keep this up."

That question has been sitting with me ever since.

The Weight That Doesn't Show Up on a P&L

We talk a lot about the physical demands of running restaurants. The long hours on your feet. The late nights. The early mornings.

But the mental load? That's the part nobody prepares you for.

The employee drama that follows you home. The hard conversations you know you need to have but keep putting off. The constant decision fatigue — from vendor issues to scheduling conflicts to guest complaints.

If you're building a restaurant group and feeling the weight of it all, grab a free copy of my book — it's the framework I use with clients to build businesses that don't require you to carry everything alone.

And here's the thing: as your business grows, the mental load doesn't shrink. It compounds.

You hire more people. More people means more personalities, more conflicts, more problems landing on your desk. You open more locations. More locations means more fires, more variables, more things that can go wrong at 2 PM on a Saturday when you're supposed to be at your kid's soccer game.

The operators I work with who are scaling from 3 to 5 locations? They're not struggling because they don't know how to run restaurants. They're struggling because they're trying to hold everything in their heads.

What Actually Helps

I wish I could tell you there's a simple fix. There isn't.

But there are a few things that consistently help the operators I coach:

1. Stop treating self-care like a reward.
My client doesn't go to the gym because he "earned" it. He goes because he knows he can't lead well without it. The gym isn't a luxury — it's infrastructure.

2. Build systems that reduce decisions, not just tasks.
Delegation is great, but if your team is still coming to you for every judgment call, you haven't actually freed up mental space. The goal is to create clarity so your people can make decisions without you.

3. Find someone outside the business to process with.
Your spouse doesn't want to hear about the prep cook who no-showed again. Your managers can't be your therapist. Having a coach, a peer group, or even just one other operator you trust can be the difference between carrying it alone and actually working through it.

4. Ask yourself the hard question.
If you're constantly wondering whether your current pace is sustainable, that's not weakness. That's awareness. And awareness is the first step to building something that doesn't break you.

The Real Conversation

Most operators won't admit this out loud, but here's what I hear in private:

"I built this business so I could have freedom, and now I have less freedom than ever."

"I'm making more money than I ever have, and I've never been more exhausted."

"I don't know if I can keep doing this for another 10 years."

If any of that sounds familiar, you're not alone. And you're not failing.

You're just at the point where what got you here won't get you there.

The operators who figure this out? They don't work harder. They change the game. They build leadership teams that can carry the load. They create systems that run without them in the room. They stop being the bottleneck in their own business.

That's the work I do with restaurant groups every day. And if you're ready to start building a business that doesn't require you to sacrifice your health, your relationships, and your sanity — I'd love to help.

Download the Independent Restaurant Framework here — it's the playbook for building a restaurant group that runs without you.

Until next week,

Christin

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 $𝟳 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁

I just got back from Mexico City.

And what I experienced there is going to stay with me for a long time.

One afternoon, I found myself at a corner taco stand that had been in operation for 60 years. Three generations. Same corner. Same recipes. Same commitment to every single guest who walked up.

I paid 120 pesos—about $7—for one of the most incredible dining experiences of my trip.

The woman running the stand knew exactly what she was doing. Her movements were precise. The food came out fast, hot, and perfect. She made eye contact. She smiled. She thanked me like she meant it.

No confusion. No chaos. Just hospitality at its purest.

A few nights later, I walked into a Michelin-starred restaurant. Beautiful space. Impressive menu. And a team of 40+ people working the floor.

What I got was chaos disguised as service.

Servers bumping into each other. Confusion about who was handling what. Food arriving at the wrong time. Staff looking at each other instead of at guests.

Forty people on the floor—and somehow, nobody was in charge of my experience.

Here's what hit me as I reflected on those two meals:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗜 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Not because small teams are inherently better. But because small teams can't hide dysfunction. When there are only three people running the operation, everyone knows their role. There's no room for ambiguity.

But when you scale—when you go from 5 employees to 15 to 40—something breaks if you're not intentional.

Roles get fuzzy.

Standards get inconsistent.

The guest experience becomes a gamble.

That's the trap. You grow your team to improve the experience—and somehow the experience gets worse.

Most operators feel this tension but aren't sure exactly where the gaps are. That's why I created a quick assessment to help you see where you stand—and what needs attention before you scale further.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗽𝗶.𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗵𝗾.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆/𝗙𝗻𝗷𝟲𝗨𝗛𝗱𝗹𝗘𝟬𝗳𝘅𝗟𝗖𝟵𝗮𝗥𝗯𝗖𝗲

The taco stand didn't have a 40-person team. But it had something more valuable:

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.

That woman knew exactly what her job was. She knew what success looked like. And she held herself to that standard every single day for 60 years.

The Michelin restaurant had resources. They had talent. They had a beautiful concept.

What they didn't have was structure.

And without structure, talent becomes chaos.

𝗔𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀.

When you're small, you can be everywhere. You can catch mistakes before they reach the guest. You can personally ensure every plate, every greeting, every moment meets your standard.

But when you scale, you can't be everywhere.

So you have to build something that works without you.

That means:

→ 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Every person you add to your team either reinforces your culture or dilutes it. There's no neutral.

→ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀. Your team needs to understand the 𝘸𝘩𝘺 behind the standards—not just the checklist. When they understand the guest experience you're trying to create, they can make decisions in the moment that serve that vision.

→ 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. This is where most operators fall apart. They set standards but don't enforce them. They give feedback once and assume it sticks. Real accountability is ongoing. It's uncomfortable. And it's non-negotiable if you want to scale.

→ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. In that Michelin restaurant, I watched servers look at each other wondering whose table I was. That's a systems failure. Every person on your floor should know exactly what they own—and what they don't.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄.

Margins are tight. Competition is fierce. Guests have more options than ever.

The restaurants that win in this environment aren't the ones with the biggest teams or the fanciest spaces.

They're the ones that deliver a consistent, intentional experience—every single time.

That 60-year-old taco stand understood something that a lot of scaling restaurants forget:

Hospitality isn't about headcount. It's about clarity, standards, and people who give a damn.

Most operators hit a wall between locations 2 and 5.

The systems that worked when you were small start to break. The culture you built starts to feel diluted. You're putting out fires instead of building something sustainable.

And your guests feel it—even if they can't articulate why.

Your guests deserve the same experience at location 4 that they got at location 1.

That only happens when you know where your gaps are—and address them before they become crises.

If you're growing and wondering whether your operation is actually ready for what's next, this 2-minute assessment will show you exactly where you stand.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗽𝗶.𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗵𝗾.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆/𝗙𝗻𝗷𝟲𝗨𝗛𝗱𝗹𝗘𝟬𝗳𝘅𝗟𝗖𝟵𝗮𝗥𝗯𝗖𝗲

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵? 𝘏𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸.

#RestaurantLeadership #GuestExperience #MultiUnitGrowth #ScalingRestaurants

🌱How to End the Call-Out Crisis That's Destroying Your Restaurant (And Your Managers)

Picture this: It's 3 PM on a Saturday, and you get a text message. 

Another call-out. 

Your general manager, who should be focusing on preparing for the dinner rush, is now scrambling to cover a shift. 

Sound familiar?

If you want to break the call-out cycle that's burning out your managers and hurting your guest experience, you need to read what happened in my coaching session today.

I was working with a Director of Operations who came to me frustrated about time management. 

He wanted to focus on strategic initiatives but felt trapped putting out daily fires. 

When we dug deeper, we uncovered the real problem: his restaurants were experiencing 4-5 call-outs per week!

If you're tired of playing defense with operational fires and want to get to the root cause of the issues holding your restaurant back, the answer is right here. 

Here's what that was actually costing his business...

His managers were constantly covering shifts instead of managing operations. 

They couldn't focus on guest experience, develop their teams, or handle service bottlenecks. 

The ripple effect was massive (burnt-out leaders, inconsistent service, and zero time for growth initiatives).

I asked him one simple question: "Are you making it too easy for your staff to call out?"

That question changed everything.

After reviewing their current process, we discovered they had accidentally created a system that encouraged call-outs rather than preventing them. 

Here's the solution we implemented:

Step 1: Communicate the "why" behind your schedule
Explain to staff why the schedule is built the way it is and ensure all requests are submitted before schedules are posted.

Step 2: Transfer ownership
Once the schedule is posted, staff members are responsible for their assigned shifts. If they need coverage, they own finding it.

Step 3: Individual outreach requirement
Staff must personally contact each unscheduled team member (no group texts that everyone ignores). Only after exhausting all options do they involve management.

Bonus accountability tip: Require staff to actually call (not text or Slack) when they need to call out. It's much harder to bail on your team when you have to have a real conversation about it.

The beautiful part? 

This isn't just about reducing call-outs. 

When you explain why you build schedules the way you do, your team starts to see the value you place in them and understands their important role in the business success.

This is what systems thinking looks like. 

One small change creates a massive ripple effect throughout your entire operation.

What operational challenge in your restaurant could be solved with better systems rather than more effort?

Ready to build systems that create thriving teams and sustainable growth? You can work with me one-on-one to implement custom solutions that fit your specific challenges, or join our group coaching program where restaurant leaders support each other through similar transformations. 

Visit https://www.IRFbook.com to get started.

Christin