When managers start to look worn down, volume is usually blamed. It’s easy to point to long shifts or a packed dining room and say that’s the cause.

But most of the time, it runs deeper than that.

Working a double once in a while doesn’t break a strong manager. What really wears them down is working every shift in reaction mode, fixing schedule gaps, jumping into roles when someone calls out, repeating standards that don’t hold, dealing with guest issues that could have been prevented, and carrying employees who aren’t pulling their weight.

That’s not leading a team. That’s putting out fires all night.

When managers operate this way long enough, the culture starts to shift. Not all at once — gradually. Coaching conversations get postponed. Recognition becomes rare because there’s no time for it. Development takes a back seat to getting through the night.

And when nothing is said, the team fills in the blanks.

If a standard isn’t reinforced, people assume it’s optional. If poor behavior isn’t addressed, it becomes normal. If strong performance isn’t acknowledged, effort tends to taper off.

Over time, even your best managers get tired of holding everything together. When the same issues land on their desk shift after shift, it starts to feel like the whole place depends on them alone.

The answer isn’t taking work off their plate. It’s tightening up how the work is organized.

Managers should be clear on what they own and how their performance is measured. That requires consistent one-on-one meetings with purpose , not rushed conversations in the middle of service.

It means setting measurable targets,  labor goals, service standards, training benchmarks, and reviewing them consistently. It means being clear about who makes which decisions, so nothing rolls uphill to the GM.

Pre-shift meetings should follow a standard. Post-shift recaps should happen when something significant goes wrong,  or right. Big nights should be reviewed while they’re still fresh, not forgotten the next morning.

Another shift that makes a difference is how feedback is delivered. There’s a big gap between correcting and coaching. Correcting focuses on the mistake. Coaching focuses on what to do next time. One shuts people down. The other builds skill.

Managers who only correct end up feeling like disciplinarians. Managers who coach feel like leaders. And leaders are far more likely to stay engaged.

If your management team seems drained, take a step back and look at the structure around them.

• Are expectations written down and reinforced?
• Does each manager have a defined area of ownership?
• Are recurring problems being solved at the root, or just patched up shift after shift?
• Are you developing the next layer of leadership, or just trying to survive each week?

Traffic will pick up as the days get longer. It usually doesn’t ease up again until well into late summer. If your managers are already maxed out, that added pace won’t make things easier.

Clear systems help keep costs in check. Defined leadership keeps the team steady. Simple, repeatable routines prevent small issues from turning into bigger ones. The goal isn’t to lighten their load, it’s to give them a better footing.

They need steadier ground to stand on.

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