Interactive workbook
The Restaurant
Leadership
Action Playbook
Five practical ways to build stronger managers, consistent teams and hospitality that scales.
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Start here
Start with what is holding you back
You probably do not need another long training manual.
You need to know:
- Where is the problem?
- What should we do about it?
- How will we know it is improving?
Start with your lowest score from the Restaurant Leadership Scorecard. Choose one or two actions from that section and practise them consistently for the next 30 days.
Do not try to fix everything at once. One behaviour that becomes part of the operation is more valuable than ten ideas that disappear after the first week.
Thirty days, one behaviour, reviewed every week.
Every decision still comes back to you
The problem
Your managers may be responsible for running the shift, but ownership is still expected to solve the difficult problems, approve routine decisions and remind people what needs to happen.
What to do
- Explain the difference between responsibility and ownership. Responsibility means completing an assigned task. Ownership means being accountable for the outcome.
- Define which decisions managers can make without asking ownership first.
- Ask managers to bring a proposed solution when they raise a problem.
- Once a week, review three decisions your managers made. Discuss what worked, what they would change and what they can decide independently next time.
The tool
Think, Propose, Decide
- 1Think: What is the real problem?
- 2Propose: What solution do I recommend?
- 3Decide: Can I move forward, or would you like to give input?
You will know it is improving when
- Fewer routine problems are escalated to ownership.
- Managers make decisions faster.
- Managers bring possible solutions instead of only bringing problems.
- Owners can step away without standards immediately slipping.
Make it yours
Choose what you will actually run
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Every location does things differently
The problem
The guest experience changes depending on the location, manager or shift. Standards may exist, but they are interpreted differently or only followed when certain people are present.
What to do
- Choose three non-negotiable standards that every location must follow.
- Describe each standard as something that can be seen or heard.
- Give every manager the same language for coaching those standards.
- Review implementation once a week across every location.
- Use examples from real shifts so that the standards feel practical.
Instead of saying, "Create better hospitality," define what better hospitality looks like. For example, every table receives one personalised recommendation and every departing guest receives a genuine closing question.
The tool
Three non-negotiables
Write each standard so a new manager could recognise it on a busy Friday.
- 1Standard one: what a guest should see or hear, every time.
- 2Standard two: what a guest should see or hear, every time.
- 3Standard three: what a guest should see or hear, every time.
You will know it is improving when
- Managers explain expectations in the same way.
- Teams know exactly what good performance looks like.
- Results depend less on which manager is working.
- New employees reach the expected standard faster.
Make it yours
Choose what you will actually run
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Your team serves guests but does not create experiences
The problem
The operational steps are completed, but interactions feel transactional. Employees take orders and deliver products without creating the connection, confidence or personal attention that guests remember.
What to do
- Explain the difference between service and hospitality.
- Give each shift one specific hospitality focus.
- Replace closed questions with questions that help the team understand the guest.
- Ask managers to observe one hospitality behaviour during every shift.
- Discuss one strong guest interaction during the post-shift review.
Instead of only asking, "Are you ready to order?" practise questions that create a natural conversation and help the employee make a relevant recommendation.
The tool
One hospitality focus per shift
Name it before service, watch for it during service, talk about it after service.
- 1Before: state the one behaviour the team is practising tonight.
- 2During: observe it at three tables and note what you heard.
- 3After: share one real interaction that showed it well.
You will know it is improving when
- Employees ask better questions.
- Recommendations feel personal instead of scripted.
- Managers coach the quality of interactions, not only task completion.
- Guests mention the experience and the team in their reviews.
Make it yours
Choose what you will actually run
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Coaching only happens when something goes wrong
The problem
Managers are busy running the operation, so team development is postponed. Feedback becomes correction after a mistake instead of regular coaching that builds confidence and prevents problems.
What to do
Run a focused ten-minute pre-shift
- State today's goal.
- Reinforce one standard.
- Introduce one menu or product focus.
- Practise one short scenario.
- Assign clear ownership for the shift.
During service
- Ask each manager to intentionally observe one employee.
- Follow up during the next shift. Feedback without follow-up is easy to forget.
The tool
AID feedback
- 1Action: What did you see or hear?
- 2Impact: What effect did it have on the guest, team or result?
- 3Desired outcome: What should the employee repeat or change next time?
You will know it is improving when
- Coaching happens during normal operations.
- Employees know which behaviours to repeat and which to change.
- Managers recognise good performance as well as correcting mistakes.
- The same problems occur less often.
Make it yours
Choose what you will actually run
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Sales depend on your strongest servers
The problem
A small number of confident employees generate strong results while the rest of the team avoids recommendations or uses language that feels forced.
What to do
- Define the Perfect Ticket for your restaurant.
- Choose one recommendation for the team to practise during each pre-shift.
- Set one clear SMART sales goal for the shift.
- Review the language the team used, the objections they heard and the result.
- Connect every recommendation to the guest's experience, not only the bill.
The tool
The Perfect Ticket
Describe the order you would be proud of, then coach the language that gets there.
- 1What does a complete guest experience include from arrival to departure?
- 2Which one recommendation will the team practise this week?
- 3What is the SMART goal for the shift, and who reviews it?
You will know it is improving when
- More employees make confident recommendations.
- Average checks become more consistent across the team.
- Selling feels natural and relevant to the guest.
- Commercial performance no longer depends on one or two individuals.
Make it yours
Choose what you will actually run
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Section seven
You know what needs to change. We make sure it gets implemented.
You do not need another plan to manage. NHH works directly with your managers and teams to turn the priorities in this playbook into daily behaviours that actually stick.
No commitment. No pressure. We will identify the first priority and show you how we would implement it.
- 1
We build the plan
Clear priorities, actions and ownership for your operation.
- 2
We work with your team
Practical training and coaching in the situations that matter.
- 3
We keep it moving
Follow-through, progress reviews and accountability until the agreed actions become routine.
Less chasing. Less checking. Fewer problems returning to ownership.
Prefer to start with your own team?
Use the 30-day plan below to choose one priority, assign ownership and begin the work yourself.
You can always bring NHH in later if momentum becomes difficult to maintain.
Section eight
Your 30-day action plan
One behaviour that becomes part of the operation is worth more than ten ideas that disappear after the first week. Work the four weeks in order.
- 1
Week 1
Choose the priority
- Return to your lowest score.
- Select one behaviour that needs to change.
- Define what good performance looks like.
- 2
Week 2
Introduce the tool
- Explain the change to the managers and team.
- Practise it during pre-shifts or coaching conversations.
- Make ownership clear.
- 3
Week 3
Observe and coach
- Watch how the behaviour is applied during real operations.
- Give specific feedback.
- Remove anything making the change difficult to use.
- 4
Week 4
Review and standardise
- Review what changed and what did not.
- Use simple operational or commercial evidence where possible.
- Decide how the new behaviour will continue after the 30 days.
Built from your selections
My plan
The Restaurant Leadership Action Playbook, New Holland Hospitality
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