𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝟰 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲)

I had the opportunity to hear Danny Meyer speak in Denver a couple weeks ago.

He's celebrating the 20th anniversary of Setting the Table, and hearing him in conversation with Bobby Stuckey was a reminder of why his approach to hospitality still matters.

Here are the 4 points that really stuck with me:

𝟭. 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀.

It took Danny 10 years to go from Union Square Cafe to Gramercy Tavern.

He was open about why: limiting beliefs from watching his dad fail as an entrepreneur. For years, he associated growth with failure.

What finally moved him? He saw that scaling would create opportunity for his team, not just himself.

That's the most beautiful reason to grow. Not to build something to flip. But to create more space for the people who helped you get there.

𝟮. 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Danny was clear: perfection is a trap.

Bad shifts happen. That's the reality of restaurants. But beating yourself up every time something goes wrong isn't leadership.

He talked about asking his team two questions:

→ What are 3 things you're proud of?

→ What are 3 things you can do better?

That balance protects the culture. It keeps the focus on growth instead of blame.

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Bobby asked Danny what behavior he wouldn't tolerate.

His answer: lack of generosity.

He told a story about a team member who boxed up an undercooked salmon instead of just fixing it for the guest. Stinginess, even in small moments, poisons a team.

We've all seen this play out. One poor performer slowly resets the bar. Mediocrity becomes the standard.

What behavior are you tolerating right now? And what's it costing your culture?

𝟰. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

We talk a lot about how hard it is to be a restaurant operator right now. Rising costs. Labor challenges. Thin margins.

Danny reminded us: it's also hard for the guests. And it's hard for the employees.

That landed for me. We used to talk about guests walking in with a sign that says "I need love." We never know what's happening in their lives before or after they sit down.

The same is true for our teams. If we put as much energy into the employee experience as we do the guest experience, retention wouldn't be such a struggle.

These lessons aren't new. But hearing Danny share them 20 years later, knowing how much he's built, was a powerful reminder that the fundamentals still work.

Take care of your people. Stay on the journey of excellence. Don't tolerate what you don't want to become your culture. And remember that everyone around you is carrying something.

🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220802/episodes/18896168

Christin

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

But are you still the one holding everything together?

A client came to me recently with a familiar story.

Five years of running a successful restaurant. Great reputation. Loyal guests. Ready to open location number two.

But there was a problem.

They were the executive chef AND the general manager. No leadership bench. No documented systems. No one trained to hold the standards they'd spent years building.

They had poured everything into creating a great guest experience. But all of that knowledge lived in their head. The recipes, the standards, the way they handled a difficult guest or coached a struggling line cook. None of it was written down. None of it was transferable.

They weren't ready to grow. They were the bottleneck.

And the hardest part? They knew it. They just didn't know where to start.

If this sounds familiar, let's talk. I'd love to learn more about where you are and see if this is the right fit and time for you: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/christin-marvin-personal-calendar-r1jjarmnw

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽

This is a monthly coaching cohort I created for restaurant owners who are serious about building businesses that don't depend on them being in the building every day.

We meet monthly to celebrate wins, share resources, and work through the real challenges of scaling.

Here's what we cover together:

→ Developing your leadership so you can step back without things falling apart

→ Building sustainable partnerships with your business partners

→ Creating team alignment so everyone's rowing in the same direction

→ Developing managers who think like owners, not employees waiting for instructions

→ Planning your exit strategy (whether that's 2 years or 10 years away)

The people in this group are in the thick of it. They're scaling. They're building leadership teams. They're planning for what comes next. And they're doing it alongside other operators who actually understand the work.

Because scaling a restaurant is lonely. And you don't have to figure it out alone.

𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟯 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

If you're a multi-unit operator and you want support from people who actually get it, I'd love to connect.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/christin-marvin-personal-calendar-r1jjarmnw

𝗢𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆: Leadership Mastery Group

Christin

How to Set Your New GM Up to Win (Before Day One)

Bringing on a new General Manager is one of the most important decisions you'll make as an operator.

You've done the hard work. You found the right person. Now you want to make sure they succeed.

Here's what I've learned coaching owners through this transition: The best thing you can do for your new GM isn't a perfect onboarding plan or a detailed SOP binder.

It's making sure they walk into a team that's already aligned.

The Move That Changes Everything

Before your new GM starts, hold a team meeting. Not to lecture. To listen.

This is your chance to reset expectations, surface what's been weighing on your team, and get everyone rowing in the same direction before new leadership arrives.

Ask your team two questions:

→ "What do we need to do to make this a place you love working?"→ "What does success look like for us in the next 90 days?"

Then sit in the silence. Let them answer. Keep asking "what else?" until you've heard it all.

If you're navigating a GM transition right now and want to talk through your approach, I'm happy to help.

Here's why this team meeting works:

It shows vulnerability. You're not pretending everything is perfect. Your team already knows where the gaps are. Acknowledging reality builds trust—and gives everyone permission to be honest.

It creates ownership. When your staff co-design the path forward, they're invested in making it work. They become part of the solution instead of waiting for someone else to fix things.

It sets your GM up to build, not repair. Your new leader walks into a team that's already had the hard conversation and committed to a direction. That's a foundation they can build on—not a mess they have to clean up.

5 Questions to Help You Prepare

Beyond the team meeting, here are five questions to sit with as you get ready for this transition:

1. What do I want my new GM to focus on in their first 90 days?

Get clear on your priorities. If everything is urgent, nothing is. What are the 2-3 things that will make the biggest difference? Write them down so you can communicate them clearly.

2. What does "good" actually look like here?

Your new GM needs to know what winning looks like—in terms of team behavior, guest experience, and operational standards. The clearer you are, the faster they can get there.

3. What authority will they have to make decisions?

One of the fastest ways to frustrate a new leader is to give them responsibility without authority. Decide now: What can they own fully? What needs your input? Be clear before they start.

4. What context do they need about the team?

Who's thriving? Who's struggling? Where are the relationships that need attention? The more honestly you brief your GM, the fewer landmines they'll step on.

5. How will I support them without taking over?

This is the balancing act. You want to be available without micromanaging. Think about what "support" looks like for you—and communicate that to your new GM early.

The Meeting Framework

If you're ready to hold that pre-GM team meeting, here's a simple structure:

Before the meeting:

• Get clear on what you want to reset

• Commit to listening, not defending

• Block enough time so you're not rushed

During the meeting:

• Start by naming the transition: "We have a new GM joining us soon. Before they start, I want to hear from you."

• Ask: "What do we need to do to make this a place you love working?"

• Ask: "What does success look like for us in the next 90 days?"

• Keep asking "what else?" until the room goes quiet

• Take notes. Don't argue. Don't explain. Just listen.

After the meeting:

• Summarize what you heard and share it back with the team

• Identify 2-3 things you'll commit to improving immediately

• Brief your incoming GM on everything—the wins, the challenges, and the honest picture

The Bottom Line

A GM transition is a big moment. It's also an opportunity.

The work you do before they arrive sets the tone for everything that comes after.

When you take the time to listen to your team, reset expectations, and get alignment—you're not just supporting your new GM.

You're showing your whole team what leadership looks like.

Give your new leader a foundation worth building on.

If you're in the middle of a leadership transition—or about to be—I'd love to help you think through it. Whether you're preparing for a new GM, backfilling a key role, or trying to figure out how to reset your team before someone new steps in, these are the conversations I have with operators every week.

No pitch. Just a real conversation about where you are and what might help.

Book a call here.

Until next week,

Christin

The Leadership Tool You're Avoiding

I used to dread one-on-ones.

Not because I didn't care about my team. I cared deeply. But as an introvert, the idea of sitting down and intentionally asking someone hard questions felt awkward and forced.

I told myself I didn't really need them. I was on the floor. I was visible. I knew my people.

I didn't know my people.

I was getting the highlight reel. The polished version. The "everything's fine" version. And by the time I found out what was actually going on, it was usually too late.

If you're running multiple locations and you feel like you're always the last to know when something's wrong, when a key employee is about to quit, when your team is frustrated, when small problems have already become big ones, you're not alone. I wrote Multi-Unit Mastery to give operators a framework for building the systems that prevent these blind spots. Grab your free copy here.

Here's the real cost of avoiding these conversations:

I talked to an owner recently who lost 15 line cooks in one location last year. At roughly $5,000 per hourly employee in recruiting, training, and lost productivity, that's $75,000 gone. When I asked if he did one-on-ones with those employees, he said no.

When I asked why, he said the people who come to work for them aren't looking for a long-term job. They're just looking for a job.

That mindset is costing him his team.

People don't leave jobs because of money. They leave because of who they're working for. And if you're not sitting down with your people, asking real questions, and actually listening, you'll never know what's really going on until they hand you their notice.

What changes when you commit to one-on-ones:

• You identify problems before they blow up

• You build trust that makes hard conversations easier

• You develop your own coaching skills

• You create a culture where people actually tell you the truth

The key is how you introduce them. If you suddenly start pulling people aside for "meetings," everyone's going to think they're in trouble. Be transparent. Tell your team: We want to understand how to support you better. We want to know what's working and what's not. This isn't a performance conversation, it's a feedback conversation.

That one conversation up front changes everything about how they receive the invitation.

Five questions to start with:

1. What's one thing that frustrated you this week that I should know about?

2. What decision did you have to make that you weren't sure about?

3. Is there anything you stopped bringing up because nothing changes?

4. What's one thing I could do differently to support you better?

5. If you were thinking about leaving, would you tell me? Why or why not?

That last one is the question most leaders are terrified to ask, and the one that tells you everything.

You don't need a full hour. Start with 15 minutes, once a week, with one person. Ask two of these questions and just listen. Don't react. Don't get defensive. Take notes, process the feedback, and come back the next day with fresh eyes.

Six months after implementing this practice, one of our clients had zero manager turnover. He finally knew what was actually happening in his restaurants.

The goal isn't to never lose anyone. The goal is to create a space where people can tell you the truth. Once you're in that space, everything else follows.

Want to go deeper on this? I break down the full framework, including the $75,000 problem, how to introduce one-on-ones without scaring your team, and more questions to ask, in this week's episode of The Restaurant Leadership Podcast. Listen to the full episode here.

Christin