The Director’s Table

The sun isn't up yet, but your day has already started. Your phone buzzes — a text from one General Manager about a last-minute call-out in the front of house. An email from another person asking for guidance on handling a supplier shortage. A voicemail from corporate reminding you that the quarterly report is due by 4 p.m. This is the life of a Director of Operations in the restaurant industry — where you're responsible for guiding multiple locations, managing experienced leaders, balancing guest satisfaction with operational performance, and meeting corporate demands without losing sight of the people who make it all possible. I've spent decades in this business — from fine dining and banquets to high-volume casual dining and multi-unit leadership for major brands. I've walked into thriving dining rooms and underperforming ones. I've been in the back-of-house during a fryer fire and at the front table greeting VIP guests. I've developed menus, cut costs without cutting quality, hired and promoted top-performing leaders, and yes, made tough calls when standards were not met. This book is not theory. It's the playbook I wish I had when I first moved from running a single restaurant to overseeing a group of them. It's for the leader who's in the middle — the one who answers to the Regional VP while guiding a team of strong-willed GMs. It's for the person who knows that the restaurant business is about more than food and numbers — it's about people, culture, and execution at scale. Pull up your chair. Your seat at the Director's Table is waiting.