2. Don’t just talk to your own employees
While dining at competitor restaurants, those servers and other staff are a great source of on-the-ground intelligence about the market or the management. “I like to talk to the employees and see what’s going on,” says Sam Rothschild, COO of Slim Chickens. “I get menu inspiration, because I’m a culinary guy, from seeing cool stuff like these one-off restaurants.”
Moreover, these casual conversations also reveal what it is staff appreciate (as well as what they don’t) about working at the restaurant and the owners, and could be more candid than the information a leader’s own employees are willing to give.