The staff drama

In the case of Barcelona, ​​both the ambassadors Carito Lourenço (Fierro, Valencia), Javier Estévez (La Tasquería, Madrid), Juan Carlos García (Vandelvira, Baeza, Jaén) and Sara Valls (Xeixa, Barcelona) as well as the local professionals made clear the importance as well as the drama involved in forming motivated, productive and cohesive teams for the good functioning of a restaurant.

Catalan restaurant and bar owners surveyed are clear about the reasons for closing their businesses: 56% cite a lack of financial planning and high opening costs, while 12% point to a shortage of qualified staff and high turnover. For 29%, staff management is the main challenge they face daily, followed by financial management (28%) and inventory control (21%).

“That initial percentage seems very low to me, considering the situation we all face daily,” Lourenço points out. Together with his partner, Germán Carrizo, he currently manages four successful businesses in Valencia after overcoming several business crises and enthusiastically embarking on new openings in the near future. “There is too much demand for qualified professionals willing to work in the sector,” he emphasizes.

Within his large team of professionals, “internal communication is fundamental,” given the diversity of their various businesses and their continued growth over time. Lourenço reveals that they work “in a very personalized way,” conducting “internal surveys” and holding “quarterly meetings” with each team member “to listen to everyone and give them their space.”

“Transparency is essential when explaining the reason for each decision,” such as, for example, “rotation within the company” in order to motivate those who feel or appear stagnant.

For Javi Estévez, TheFork ambassador with the longest track record as a solo entrepreneur, the most important thing is "keeping the team engaged with the project" so they don't want to leave. "It's been a decade since my first restaurant opened, and I still have key people on board," he says.

According to him, the achievement lies in making the project "attractive" and "constantly evolving" to foster the growth of the business but also that of the team.

Estévez places special emphasis on productivity – “it’s not about working more, but better” – work-life balance – that is, “being flexible to everyone’s needs” – and interns, because in his company they have had great potential thanks to their skills.

Time versus pay

Estévez also advocates for involving his staff in the business's revenue. "Let them know that if the restaurant does well, they'll do well too," he says. Even so, he acknowledges that right now his people prioritize "having more free time" over a better salary.

Juan Carlos García, who offers a series of incentives to his employees at Vandelvira, also addresses this issue. “I dedicate most of my time to managing the team because I want them to feel ownership of the project. If we all pull together because there’s a lot of work, we’ll all receive the corresponding reward,” he explains.

Values ​​like empathy are increasingly important in a restaurant industry that is becoming more human-centered. "We need people; we need to give them opportunities and freedom so they can contribute and benefit us," adds the Andalusian chef.

Unlike Xeixa and La Tasquería, for example, Vandelvira is open on weekends and even offers event catering in addition to its regular restaurant services. The two businesses feed off each other. “We would generate much more revenue by opening on Saturdays and Sundays—we do so occasionally—but it’s a strategy my team appreciates,” says Estévez.

“These days you find very few people willing to give their all. That’s why we pay well, offer incentives, keep to strict schedules, and organize ourselves in a way that prevents staff from burning out,” the cook explains.

Far from assuming an authoritarian leadership style, Valls prefers to share responsibilities and delegate. He actively listens to his team and respects the decisions they make as a group.

All of these are valid approaches to managing people in a "highly competitive" sector, where there is "a large pool of job openings and hardly any people willing to work." This is the view of Javier Murillo, from the consulting firm Michael Page, who believes that before hiring a worker, restaurant owners should consider the length of time each applicant has spent in their previous jobs. "Ideally, they should spend at least three years in the same position," he advises.

Beyond staff management, the hospitality businesses surveyed cite regulations and permits as obstacles to starting a business. One in six maintains that difficulties accessing investment and high interest rates on financing are the main economic barriers they face.