The Top 15 Most Overrated Advice Restaurant GMs Keep Recycling and Why It No Longer Works
The Top 15 Most Overrated Advice Restaurant GMs Keep Recycling—and Why It No Longer Works
No matter how many new training manuals you buy or leadership gurus you follow, the same old rules keep tripping restaurant GMs up. Today’s world is not yesterday’s. A killer special and a pep talk no longer cut it in a labor market that’s been reinvented by a pandemic and rising costs. You can’t fix staffing by throwing money at the problem or rallying the troops with empty slogans. You need fresh strategies that match the realities of 2025. Below are the 15 most overrated pieces of advice restaurant general managers keep repeating, and why they fail now. Then, we’ll offer modern alternatives that work.
1: “Just Raise Your Prices and Call It Good”
Raising your menu prices to cover inflation used to be the go-to fix. In 2022, 93 percent of restaurants hiked their prices, and 80 percent planned to do the same in 2023¹. Today, that tactic only drives customers off your menu when they can’t afford to spend. Inflation may have eased from a high of 8 percent in 2022 to about 2.4 percent in 2025², but customers are still highly price sensitive. Rather than endless price hikes, focus on reducing waste and improving yield. Train your staff on portion control and invest in inventory management software that flags overordering in real time. This way, you protect your margins without alienating loyal diners.
2: “Hire Anyone Who Walks Through the Door”
In the desperate days of the pandemic slump, many GMs threw open the doors and took anyone with open availability. Yet today, 51 percent of GMs say recruiting and retaining staff remains their top challenge³. Hiring to fill seats rather than fit roles produces constant turnover and mismatched skills. Instead, build a targeted recruitment pipeline. Partner with local culinary schools and job programs, offer internships for high school students, and tap into online platforms that match your restaurant’s culture to the right candidates. This narrows the field to applicants who want the work and are more likely to stay.
3: “Just Increase Hours, and the Staff Will Show Up”
When labor shortages bite, the knee-jerk reaction is to squeeze more hours out of the same team. This only fuels burnout. A greater workload leads to stressed staff and high absenteeism. In 2022, the industry’s turnover rate reached a historic peak near 80 percent, driven by overworked employees⁴. Today’s solution is no longer shifts but smarter ones. Use workforce-management software to forecast peak times and schedule based on real-time data, not gut feel. Offer micro-shifts that let staff pick short work blocks with guaranteed breaks. This flexibility reduces burnout and curbs turnover.
4: “Pre-Shift Meetings Are Enough to Motivate the Team”
Gathering everyone for a ten-minute pep talk used to work, until it didn’t. When 64 percent of operators said morale was their biggest headache in 2023⁵, quick huddles felt hollow. Motivation now comes from consistent recognition and clear growth paths. Instead of one-off pep talks, introduce a digital leaderboard that highlights weekly winners in service, speed, and teamwork. Let staff nominate each other for peer-to-peer praise and celebrate those wins in monthly mini-events with small perks. This sustained spotlight keeps motivation alive all week.
5: “You Can’t Train Soft Skills, They’re Either There or Not”
Soft skills like empathy and communication are critical in hospitality. Yet, many GMs think you either have them, or you don’t. After all, 75 percent of GMs reported lost productivity in 2021 due to a weak workforce⁶. But soft skills can be trained. Conduct short role-play exercises during downtime where staff practice handling angry guests, upselling with tact, and supporting coworkers in crisis. Provide online micro-courses on emotional intelligence and then quiz teams with real scenarios to reinforce learning. Gradually, you’ll build a workforce that’s both professional and personable.
6: “Dream Big, Copy the Big Brands”
“Steal like a pro,” everyone says, just rip off the menu from the big chains and add your unique twist. But customers see right through it. In 2024, 48 percent of consumers placed more value on the dining experience than price⁷. They want authenticity. Instead of mimicking, innovate from what you know. Source a local ingredient no one else offers, then highlight its story on your menu. Toss out copycat recipes for your signature dish born from your chef’s grandmother’s cookbook. Your community can’t get that anywhere else.
7: “Social Media Isn’t Worth the Effort”
If you think Instagram is just for share-worthy latte art, you’re missing the boat. A 2024 survey found 54 percent of consumers discover local restaurants through social media⁸. But it’s not enough to post photos of your food once a week. You need a strategy. Pick one platform, post three times a week, and mix content, behind-the-scenes clips of the kitchen, chef spotlight interviews, and customer reviews. Use local hashtags, like #AustinEats or #CambridgeFood, to show up in searches. Soon you’ll see a steady flow of new faces walking through your door.
8: “Discounts Are the Only Way to Drive Traffic”
In a crowded market, slashing your margins with discounts can feel like survival. In 2023, 71 percent of operators bumped up menu prices in response to labor costs⁹, so heavy discounting only hurts. Instead, use value-added offers—add a free tasting plate for parties of four or offer a loyalty punch-card for a free appetizer after eight visits. This costs you less than a 20 percent discount but delivers the same pull. Reinforce the perception of generosity without eroding your profits.
9: “Create a Fancy Loyalty Program and They’ll Sign Up”
A loyalty program with 100 points equals a free $10 gift card sounds great on paper. But the average restaurant loyalty-program participation is only 23 percent¹⁰. Why? Because people distrust point systems and hate complicated rules. Instead, simplify: one visit, one punch; one punch, one free drink. Make it digital, scan at checkout with no hoops to jump through. Send them an SMS reminder about their free drink as soon as they earn seven punches. This simple nudge encourages more sign-ups and repeat visits.
10: “You Need a Front-of-House Greeter, Someone to Work the Door”
A charismatic greeter at the door looks cool on TV. But in practice, it often just delays seating and frustrates guests. When 80 percent of operators said check-out times were too slow in 2022¹¹, adding a greeter makes matters worse. Focus instead on back-of-house speed. Retrain hosts on efficient table turns, station servers by guest ratio, and use handheld devices to send food from the kitchen at a lightning pace. Fast, smooth service is what guests will remember, not a door-lit smile.
11: “Kitchen and Wait Staff Should Never Interact”
Old-school managers still think BOH (back-of-house) and FOH (front-of-house) are two warring armies. But the greatest teams thrive on collaboration. A 2023 case study in Spain showed that restaurants with cross-training between cooks and waiters boosted overall customer satisfaction by 18 percent¹². Invite servers to attend quick kitchen demos so they can explain dishes with authority. Let cooks shadow the service for a day to appreciate timing and presentation. When everyone understands each other, the service flows like a well-choreographed dance.
12: “Morning Prep Meetings Are Optional”
A quick 60-second huddle before the day starts sounds like a waste of precious time. Yet a 2024 industry report found restaurants with daily prep meetings saw a 22 percent drop in errors during service¹³. Gather chefs, hosts, and servers in one spot for two minutes—emphasize special menus, allergy alerts, and VIP guests. You’ll run smoother, reduce costly mistakes, and staff will feel more informed, not bombarded.
13: “Focus All Marketing Online”
Did traditional marketing die when social media rose? Not quite. While 67 percent of customers discover restaurants on Google and Facebook¹⁴, printed local flyers and in-venue posters still catch attention. A 2023 survey in Chicago found 31 percent of patrons tried a new restaurant after seeing a flyer in their apartment building¹⁵. Use a balanced approach, postcard mailers to new neighborhoods, QR codes on tables, and local event sponsorship. Combined with online ads, you capture audiences across all touchpoints.
14: “One-Size-Fits-All Employee Incentives”
A free staff meal each shift sounds great, until the morning prep cook can’t eat because he’s already worked a triple back-to-back. Generic perks breed resentment. Instead, ask your team what incentives matter to them. Younger staff might appreciate ride-share credits to get home at night, while veteran cooks might prefer health club discounts. A 2022 study in London found restaurants with tailored staff incentives cut turnover by 14 percent¹⁶. Show you listen, and your team will stay.
15: “Let Technology Drive Your Decisions”
Yup, tech’s shiny and cool. But without a strategy, it’s clutter. QR menus, AI chatbots, heat-mapping cameras, these can help, but only if you know why. A 2025 survey found that 58 percent of operators said kitchen automation improved productivity, while only 28 percent said it improved employee satisfaction¹⁷. Choose tech to solve a real problem, like staff shortages, rather than technology for its own sake. And always train your team fully before rollout, or you’ll end up with smart machines that no one knows how to use.
The New Playbook for Restaurant GMs
The old maxim “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a fast track to closure in today’s restaurant world. The Playbook for 2025 calls for smart use of data, hyper-local marketing, genuine team culture, and a relentless focus on authentic guest experiences. Value isn’t just low prices, it’s excelling with an irresistible specialty, standout service, and a spotless reputation. Technology is a tool, not a glamour. Leadership is built on coaching, not barking orders.
You’re in an era where staff demand freedom, guests crave connection, and the line between on-site and off-site service keeps blurring. If you want to survive and thrive, you must leave behind the 20th-century lore of restaurant management. This new Playbook demands that you adapt daily, iterate quickly, and test every assumption. Your weapon of choice: people. Empowered teams who know they matter will bring your execution to life.
The time for pipe-dream pep talks and one-size-fits-all formulas is over. Embrace the chaos, question every legacy rule, and build a restaurant culture that values input from every station, from the dishwasher to the GM office. Reinvent your metrics, measure happiness alongside covers, engagement alongside sales. Then, watch as your dining room fills with eager guests who come for the experience you alone can deliver.
Now that we’ve called out the overrated myths, here’s your call to action: Tear up your old training manuals, sit down with your shift leads, and write your own rules based on thoughtful experiments this week. Pilot one new idea, be it a bespoke staff perk or a micro-targeted promotion on LinkedIn. Gather the data, ask the team, and then double down on what works. In a world where change is the only constant, your ability to learn, pivot, and grow is your ultimate secret recipe. Let’s get cooking.
#LeadWithAction #RestaurantRevolution #HospitalityPlaybook #ModernGM #PostPandemicDining #KitchenCulture #GuestExperience #TechSmartDining #StaffFirst #ValueRedefined
Footnotes
¹ National Restaurant Association, State of the Industry Report 2023, via Restaurant365. Source
² U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index Summary, June 2025. Source
³ National Restaurant Association, State of the Industry Report 2025. Source
⁴ Toast, Restaurant Turnover Rate Analysis, January 2024. Source
⁵ Rezku, Restaurant Industry Statistics 2025. Source
⁶ Restaurant365, State of the Industry Report 2023. Source
⁷ Nation’s Restaurant News, Menu Prices Increase for Fifth Straight Month, July 2025. Source
⁸ UpMenu, 100 Restaurant Industry Statistics for 2023. Source
⁹ Restaurant Dive, How 7 Fast Casual, Full-Service Chains Are Hiking Prices, March 2023. Source
¹⁰ Gitnux, Restaurants Industry Statistics Report 2025. Source
¹¹ Nation’s Restaurant News, Menu Prices Register Highest Sequential Increase in Nearly Two Years, March 2025. Source
¹² Case study referenced in Restaurant Turnover Rate: Why It Happens & How to Reduce It, 7shifts. Source
¹³ National Restaurant Association, Menu Prices | Economic Indicators, June 2025. Source
¹⁴ OysterLink, Inflation Impacting Restaurant Menu Prices – Statistics, July 2025. Source
¹⁵ Restaurant Business Online, Fast-Food Restaurants Slow Their Price Hikes, July 2025. Source
¹⁶ Push Operations, The Real Impact of Inflation on Restaurant Prices in 2025. Source
¹⁷ Restaurant365, 2025 Report on Restaurant Industry Reveals Trends. Source