How to Have More Productive Preshift Meetings

A successful independent restaurant has a lot in common with a blockbuster Hollywood movie. Consider yourself the director -- the Ron Howard or Steven Spielberg of restaurateurs.

The most important factor, of course, is the script, or in this case, the menu. The next consideration is the cast. Assuming that you're not hiring George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep to wait tables, look instead at the cast you've assembled, and then do what any Spielberg would do.

Motivate. Inspire. Direct.

Or, in other words, hold an effective pre-shift meeting. And in return, get the performance of a lifetime.

"If you give your staff direction and motivation, they will perform for you rather than just do a job," says Chris Tripoli of A'La Carte Foodservice Consulting Group. "Even the best servers can benefit from a little more focus and positive communication from their manager. No matter how tenured your staff is, they can still grow. Even Meryl Streep has a bad day now and then."

According to unofficial estimates by industry experts, fewer than 50 percent of independent restaurants have pre-shift meetings. But the really successful ones usually do.