How restaurant mentors make good restaurateurs great

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There’s no replacement for experience in the restaurant industry. Working in or running a restaurant business is not a purely intellectual exercise taught in a classroom. Rather, it’s a hands-on, head-down, nose-to-the-grindstone sort of thing. Those who choose this path earn experience and develop their talent one bead of sweat and burned finger at a time.

In any setting where experience is closely tied to success, veterans can provide invaluable information and guidance. In the restaurant business, they can guide new chefs and restaurateurs, establishing mentorship programs to share their experience.

Many new restaurant owners who are overwhelmed by the learning curve and the sheer number of hours involved in running a restaurant can benefit from having a good mentor whose years of experience can help everything make more sense.

But what are the right steps to take to find a restaurant mentor? And how do you know when you might be ready to be a mentor yourself?

This article will answer those questions and examine mentoring relationships. And if the following paragraphs sound like relationship advice, it’s because they are.

Finding a restaurant mentor in 4 steps

In the restaurant industry, some mentorship programs are formally established and may exist in-house. In general, though, mentorship tends to happen organically, arising out of personal connections and a similar path of professional growth.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in finding a restaurant mentor. While sometimes a mentor/mentee relationship just happens naturally, often the onus is on the person seeking the mentor to put in the legwork to get things started. So, let’s look at how you can make that happen in these four steps below.

Step 1: Know yourself

Before looking for a restaurant mentor, you need to do a deep dive into self-reflection. Where are you in your career, and where do you want to be? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you know you need improvement?

Naturally, it makes sense to clearly define your professional title or at least where you’d like to be. If you’re an executive chef or aim to be, you’ll likely want to find an experienced executive chef as your mentor. This is also true for a general manager, restaurant operator or entrepreneur, or any other specific role. Having clear paths and knowing where you’d like to be will make it much easier to decide who to approach.

Step 2: Identify who you respect

Think about who you look up to or would like to emulate. If you’re a new restaurateur, for example, consider who you know that consistently kicks butt with their restaurant(s). Ideally, this person will be in your area, and even more ideally, you’ll have only a few degrees of separation from them.

If you and the mentor you have in mind have mutual friends or colleagues, that’s perfect. The closer the connection before you make your ask, the better. If possible, select a few people you’d be happy to receive advice from since there’s no guarantee they’ll be interested or available.

Step 3: Make the ask

Once you’ve identified potential restaurant mentors, you’ll need to make the ask. This may be nerve-wracking for some, but recall that you’re not a teenager asking someone out—you’re a professional seeking counseling.

When asking a person to become your mentor, you’ll need to put any ego aside. Be completely honest and lay all your cards on the table: Tell them what you’re looking for, why you’re looking for it, and why you are choosing to ask them.

Many people are flattered by such an ask since it is indeed one heck of a compliment. Consider what you can offer in return—a mentor relationship works best when it’s a two-way street.

The way you ask depends on your preferred style of communication. An in-person conversation is naturally the most…natural but can result in a case of the nerves for some people. Emails and phone calls can work fine, especially since emails allow you to explain yourself thoroughly and with time to edit your thoughts.

Text messaging or social media doesn’t feel right for such a scenario as it’s not personal enough. You’re looking for a real human connection, which requires direct, long-form exchanges.

Be prepared for your potential mentor to say no, and accept any reason they give. Don’t take it personally—sometimes people are just busy or not interested in such a relationship. If they say no, move on to the next person you’d like to speak with.

Step 4: Establishing the relationship

Once you’ve found a mentor who agrees to tutor you, cherish the relationship like it’s gold—because it is. Find a regular time to talk and bring questions. There is no dollar value to attach to wisdom and experience. Be yourself, be honest, and be ready to be vulnerable.

Remember why you sought this relationship in the first place: To learn from someone who has been where you are today. In any mentor/mentee relationship, both parties are on the same learning path, the mentor is simply further down that path.

Establishing your own mentorship program

Once you’ve achieved some success in the restaurant industry, you may find yourself in a position to offer mentorship. Similarly, your experienced staff may be able to take new hires under their wing. When done right, this can be a beautiful situation.

If you’re running a restaurant, ask older or more experienced staff members to advise younger staff. You can even set up a formal mentoring program in which new members learn from people they share a connection with. This could be where young chefs learn from older, more experienced ones, or where women in culinary leadership help train the younger female generation to be the best they can be.

Keep it real with good tools

Mentorship can be a crucial element in developing anyone’s talent in the restaurant industry. Reaching out and expressing the desire to learn can often trigger that desire in many of us to share our knowledge.

Maximizing your abilities in a restaurant requires good guidance but also using the best possible technology available. Right now, there’s no better front-of-house (FOH) software than Yelp Guest Manager. It helps manage FOH services across the board, including waitlists, reservations, and table management. It syncs with several top-of-the-line POS systems and more.

So, if you’re looking for a restaurant mentor or to be a mentor, consider Yelp Guest Manager as a full-service FOH genius that makes life easier. We’d love to talk to you, so please reach out to us for a free demo. Happy learning, everyone.