Before the Meltdown: Identify and Stop ‘Vibe Sabotage’ in Your Restaurant

"The pandemic hampered the industry and it’s never fully recovered," Richard Birke, Chief Architect at JAMS Pathways, observed. "Customer expectations changed. Employee expectations changed. Financial dynamics changed. So, even though we’re back to dining in, the damage has been done, and it manifests in all kinds of ways."

Birke discusses the rise of internal conflicts in the hospitality industry with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. He shares insights into the root causes of frontline burnout and provides strategies for managers and operators to intervene before these tensions escalate, focusing on issues including shift favoritism, front-of-house/back-of-house dynamics, and details "vibe sabotage," which is definted as actions that negatively impact the overall atmosphere.

Birke's first job as a dishwasher in a fancy French restaurant in Boston set the foundation for a future career in conflict resolution.

"Restaurant work was a pressure cooker then, and that was a long time ago. Yes, there has been a rise in internal conflicts. Not a huge rise (it was tense back in the day), but a meaningful one."

Pressure to deliver a flawless experience, regardless of personal struggles or demanding customers, can lead to burnout. That can fuel a vicious cycle of staff shortages and increased pressure on the remaining staff.

"While working in restaurants, I often felt like I was putting on a performance," Birke said "Each shift meant stepping into character, delivering lines with a smile, and staying composed no matter what was happening behind the scenes. It’s hard to be working while patrons are relaxing. It’s hard not to be able to go out on a weekend night. It’s hard having to put on a smile no matter what’s happening in your personal life or how demanding a customer might be."

Also adding pressure: many food service workers who were laid off during the pandemic found work in other industries, so the pool of trained people diminished.

Conflict resolution is part art, part science.

"Today, fewer people make a career out of waiting tables. In some old-school New Orleans restaurants, some waiters had worked there for decades. That’s increasingly rare. Most people in the industry now are younger and/or less experienced, and they harbor no desire or illusion that they will work at the same place for very long — or that the restaurant will even be in business long enough for them to make a career there."

When supervisors assign better shifts to favored employees, it creates a palpable pecking order.

"If a supervisor assigns better shifts to their favorite employees, the newer or less favored employees will likely make less money and work less-desirable hours (or tables or rooms)," Birke explains. This leads to resentment and a strained hierarchy. This favoritism directly impacts team cohesion, as those on the bottom feel undervalued and unfairly treated. Ultimately, this internal discord can manifest in a diminished guest experience, as a disgruntled team is less likely to provide top-notch service.

Birke suggests:

• Engage in Open Dialogue: He suggests holding staff meetings at which the supervisor engages the staff in a conversation about the topic. This can help uncover differing interests among employees and potentially "improve upon the status quo."

• Balance Fairness and Recognition: "Supervisors face a difficult choice: Treat everyone exactly the same and risk alienating top performers, or treat people differentially and deal with resentment," Birke points out. The key is to do so in a way that doesn't breed resentment among other staff. Birke adds that a top employee "may not want to work every plum shift. They may want to relax on a Saturday night, and they may not want to create jealousy among their colleagues."

Vibe sabotage in a restaurant environment  can range from BOH issues impacting FOH efficiency (e.g., slow food delivery) to FOH staff subtly undermining the establishment's reputation, Birke explains,

"Commiserating with customers about prior negative experiences can help bond the server with their table, but at the same time, it can impact perception of the establishment." As Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman noted, losses are felt more acutely than gains, meaning just one surly server can dampen the vibe for an entire room."

Advice for managers:

• Be Observant: Actively notice shifts in employee demeanor or customer complaints that could indicate vibe sabotage.

• Identify the Source: Discreetly investigate the root cause of the negative behavior.

• Intervene Privately and Individually: "To combat this, a supervisor needs to notice the problem, track down its source and then intervene privately and individually. Public recrimination pushes people to double down, and generic solutions don’t serve individual needs."

One common source of tension in restaurants stems from the inherent differences in FOH and BOH experiences.

Among the reasons for this dynamic:

• Unequal Compensation: The difference in earning potential between tipped FOH staff and hourly BOH staff is a primary driver of resentment.

• Differing Workloads: Busy periods impact FOH and BOH differently, leading to varying levels of stress and satisfaction.

• Lack of Empathy: A lack of understanding of the challenges faced by the "other side" can exacerbate the divide.

Birke's advice:

• Foster Cross-Departmental Understanding: "Providing the time and encouraging employees to share their experiences can help," Birke advises. "They say misery loves company, but I think misery loves relief more than company. But in the absence of relief, there’s a camaraderie that can result if a talented supervisor can help everyone realize that the grass isn’t really greener on the other side of the swinging doors."

It goes without saying that conflict resolution is a crucial skill for restaurant managers.

"Conflict resolution is part art, part science," stated Birke. 

Advice for Managers and Operators:

• Continuous Learning: Birke encourages, "Learn more. Read. Listen to podcasts. Take classes, especially someone who has moved into a supervisory role. There’s a lot of wisdom out there."

• Embrace Modern Techniques: Leverage contemporary research and best practices in areas such as difficult conversations and understanding diverse workplace needs.

Beyond simply tracking turnover rates, operators can measure the effectiveness of conflict resolution efforts by assessing employee engagement and satisfaction.

• Utilize Surveys and Interviews: Industries have learned how to measure employee engagement and satisfaction through surveys, interviews, and other instruments.

• Leverage Existing Knowledge: Birke's advice is to "avail yourself of the collected learnings of those who’ve come before you" when it comes to measuring success.