How to keep good restaurant general managers

A store with a strong GM runs itself on the owner's day off. A store between GMs runs on the owner. Replacing one means recruiting, weeks of training and a stretch of weaker results, so keeping a good GM is some of the best money an owner spends.

Signs a GM is stretched thin

• Their own clocked hours creeping up week after week.
• Schedules posted later than they used to be.
• Open shifts covered by the GM rather than filled.
• Reviews mentioning short staffing or slow service.

These are prompts for a conversation, not a verdict. Ask what's going on before changing anything.

A bonus that works

• Two or three measures the GM controls: hourly labor, food cost variance, recent rating.
• Targets set against the store's own baseline, not the brand's best store.
• Written terms, paid on time, with the math shown.
• Nothing tied to things they can't change, like rent or a brand promotion.

Build the bench

Every store should have at least one shift lead who can run the building for a day. Have them build the schedule once a month and explain the weekly numbers once a quarter. The day a GM leaves, you'll know who's ready.

A new GM's first 90 days

• Days 1–30: learn the store, the crew and the weekly numbers.
• Days 31–60: own the schedule and the weekly counts.
• Days 61–90: own hourly labor and food variance, with the bonus live.

Where Franlever fits

Franlever sends each GM one clear lever a day about their store, by text or email, and GMs can reply DONE, LATER or WRONG. They never need an account. How to give your GM instructions they'll follow.

General information for restaurant and franchise operators, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Figures in examples are illustrations, not predictions or promises of results. Laws and platform policies change and differ by location, so check the current rules and talk to a qualified advisor about your situation.