The last place you might expect to find super-star managers is at Waffle House, but, as The Wall Street Journal reports, the quick-service restaurant does produce highly skilled managers who can balance retaining staff and keeping up with a busy diner,.
One major expectation at Waffle House is that managers get their hands dirty too. The company’s president and chief executive, Walt Ehmer, speaking on a recent podcast, said doing the grunt work helps managers earn the trust and respect of their teams while staying connected to the entire operation.
Successful Waffle House managers, who can earn as much as $100,000 annually after five years, must first learn speed. To meet the goal of serving every customer in eight minutes or less, the waitstaff doesn’t bother punching orders into a computer. Orders are written down in a shorthand code and read aloud to cooks.
If the restaurant is busy or short-staffed, managers are expected to dive in. The company’s training program teaches them how to analyze P&L statements, but it also prepares them to cook, clean and wait tables.
Once they tackle the pace the next challenge is endurance because Waffle House never closes. If there’s a crisis in the dead of night, the manager inevitably gets a call.
Entitlement isn’t an issue at Waffle House headquarters, either. Every executive, including the CEO, visits the restaurants. They wear the same uniform as hourly employees. And if it’s busy, they bus tables and take orders. Read the full story.
