Leading a Restaurant Through Tragedy | Mike’s Monthly Tip

Pizzeria Leadership During Trying Times

At  some point, something bad is going to happen. Not the, “We ran out of pepperoni on a Friday” kind of bad. The real kind: A fire takes out a neighboring business. A staff member loses a parent. A regular customer passes away unexpectedly. The kind of moment where everyone looks around and waits to see what you are going to do.

This is when people find out who you actually are.

Most business owners say, “I’m sorry for your loss,” and then disappear during these moments. They don’t know what to say, so they say nothing. They don’t know what to do, so they do nothing. And their team members are disappointed. The inverse is also true: When you do step up, that’s the kind of thing that reduces turnover more than pay ever will.

Just Show Up

Here’s the truth: You don’t need to have the perfect words. You don’t have to fix anything. You just have to show up.

When tragedy hits your community, your restaurant can be a gathering point. It can be the place that stays open when people need somewhere to go. It can be the operation that donates food, rallies support or just keeps the lights on so people feel some sense of normal. That matters more than you think. People remember who showed up and who didn’t.

When tragedy hits your team, it’s even simpler: Be present. Check in. Cover their shifts without making them feel guilty about it. Send food to their family. Go to the service if you can. You don’t need a script. You need to care, and you need to act on it.

“But how will I know where the service is?” Ask or Google it. I’ve never seen someone mad that a person cared enough to show up to a funeral. It’s an act of service and kindness that only those who have lost someone close to them know.

True Leadership

I’m not saying this to guilt anyone. I’m saying it because this is part of the job. You wanted to be the boss. You wanted to build something. Well, part of building something is leading people through the hard stuff. Not just schedules and food cost and Friday rushes. The actual hard stuff.

Some owners do this because it’s the right thing to do. Some do it because they don’t want to look like they don’t care. Honestly, it doesn’t matter why you do it. Just do it. Your reason can be purely self-serving. If that’s what gets you to act, then it was the right move.

The restaurants that have real culture, the ones where people stay for years and actually give a damn, they’re not built on pizza parties and employee-of-the-month plaques. They’re built on moments like these. The times when someone was struggling, and the owner stepped up instead of stepping back.

Your Team is Watching

You’re their leader. That title means something when things are easy, but it means everything when things are hard. Your team is watching. Your community is watching. And they will remember.

So, when it hits the fan, don’t freeze. Don’t hide behind, “I didn’t know what to say.” Show up. Do something. Be the person they can count on when it matters most.

That’s leadership. The rest is just management.

MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

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