How to Manage Stress in this Stressful Business

DO YOU EVER FEEL STRESSED?

Most independent restaurateurs would laugh at that question if the truth were not a bit painful. As a startup operator, you should know that entrepreneurship is not for the faint at heart. Now add the numerous stressors unique not only to the restaurant business, but the foodservice industry.

And in the restaurant business, stress can sneak up on everyone - owners, managers, and staff. We talk about being "in the weeds" almost as a badge of honor. Pressures in the back of the house are an accepted part of foodservice culture. You don't even need to be in the business to appreciate this fact. Just ask anyone who has watched celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey's expletive-laden rants on television.

"It's not really any one particular moment or item that is stressful more than others," says Jesse Gideon, corporate chef and COO of Fresh to Order in Alpharetta, GA. "It's the combination of dealing with imperfect products and people, and striving towards perfection."

And we accept that guests and employees are demanding. "High demand of customers and patrons, as well as associates - employees or third parties the business cooperates with - all add pressure to the owners and/or operators of the business," says Tony Paese, general manager of Villa Azur, a Mediterranean restaurant in Miami Beach, FL. Creating a harmonious work environment by combining front- and back-of-house staff "is a challenge to start with, as is attracting, hiring, and training a qualified workforce, particularly in our current job market."

As operators, we also accept that our success last week doesn't insure our success this week. In the restaurant world, Paese adds, competition can deter potential first-time and return customers from frequenting an establishment, "oftentimes without you knowing. The ever-changing consumer trends demand that operators and owners constantly review the food and service offering, inclusive of its pricing strategies, which can be stressful, while having to reach financial expectations to be successful in the business."