The Habits Gap: What Managers Are Really Doing
Every day, operators balance unpredictable guest volumes, fluctuating sales, and the challenge of keeping teams motivated and efficient. For ops teams, the difference between venues that thrive and those that struggle often comes down to one thing: the habits managers practice on the ground.
Excellence is built shift by shift, habit by habit. When we surveyed hospitality professionals to uncover what managers are really doing, the results revealed a striking gap between what senior teams assume is happening and what’s actually taking place. That gap is where profit leaks, service falters, and opportunities are lost.
What You Think Is Happening vs. What’s Actually Happening
Many ops leaders assume their managers are forecasting sales, planning labour to match demand, and reviewing performance daily. But the data tells a different story:
- Only 46% of managers forecast sales on a day-by-day basis
- 38% of managers don’t deploy their teams to maximise sales
- 41% of managers don’t stagger start and finish times or deduct time for breaks
- 26% don’t formalise their shift allocation when writing their rota
- 15% of managers don’t use quiet periods productively
- 54% do not review sales forecasts and labour schedules daily
- 15% of managers don’t accurately track their hours for payroll
The Cost of Assumptions
Assuming your managers are doing the right things can be costly. Every missed forecast, every misaligned shift, every unreviewed rota contributes to profit leakage. The gap between the rota and reality is where money is lost — and where service suffers.
“You can’t manage what you can’t see.” As an ops team, you need tools and processes that give you real-time visibility into what’s happening on the floor. That means:
- Seeing how labour is deployed hour-by-hour
- Understanding how sales forecasts align with staffing
- Identifying where shifts are overstaffed or underutilised
What Ops Managers Can Do Next
Ask yourself: “Do I know what habits my managers are practicing every day?”
The truth is, excellence isn’t built on assumptions – it’s built on habits. That’s why we’ve developed our Operational Excellence Programme: a structured way to benchmark your venues, embed best practices, and turn good intentions into daily behaviours. By engaging with the programme, you’ll be able to:
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Gain clear visibility into the habits shaping performance across your venues
- Identify where good habits are strong – and where bad habits exist
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Equip your managers with the tools and training to build consistency across every shift