ATLANTA, GA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 20, 2022 / Hiring, training, and retaining the right personnel is key to the success of any restaurant or bar. That’s even more true when it comes to an establishment’s management team — especially as operators continue to weather the challenges of the last couple of years.

That’s why Lee Schulman, founder of Panacea Management Group (PMG) Consulting, includes management coaching among the services he offers to restaurant operators. A hospitality veteran with three decades of experience, Schulman, the owner and operator of Old Vinings Inn, knows firsthand the importance of nurturing strong restaurant managers.

The first step, he says, is to make sure you have the right person in the right role.

“In this day and age, it’s a great idea not to start with any assumptions,” he says. “Whether it’s a new hire or someone who’s been with you for a while, you want to make a realistic, unbiased assessment of their skills and strengths. It’s always possible that you might not have cast that person in the right role to begin with.”

If your manager is in the right role, but maybe not performing up to the level you need them to, don’t fret. “You can create a structured program for specific behaviors that need to be addressed,” Schulman adds. “That’s the easy part. But it’s how you address those issues or behaviors that is key.”

Schulman is available to discuss the following topics when it comes to evaluating managerial talent:

• How to determine areas of focus
• When to share your observations about specific issues
• How to frame the conversation when addressing problem areas or situations
• When it’s time to make a difficult decision

Lee Schulman is the owner and operator of Old Vinings Inn and has three decades of experience with such respected restaurant companies as Morrison Restaurants, Inc. (L&N Seafood Grille, Silver Spoon Café), Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (Atlanta Fish Market), Liberty House Restaurant Corporation (OK Café), Brookwood Grill, Stoney River, Here to Serve Restaurants (TomTom) and Saltyard.

Schulman also runs Panacea Management Group Consulting (PMG), offering consultations in menu research and development, service auditing and training, and restaurant operations procedures and systems. He holds a degree in food systems, economics, and management from Michigan State University and attended the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute.