1. Keep It Short, or Lose Their Attention

Hospitality workers thrive in fast-paced, high-energy environments. So, if you’re droning on for 45 minutes about upselling strategies, they’re already mentally clocked out.

🔹 15 minutes max—get in, say what needs to be said, and get out.

🔹 Skip the fluff—if it’s not immediately useful to them, they don’t care.

🔹 Save individual coaching for one-on-ones, not full-team meetings.

Respect their time, and they’ll respect what you have to say.

2. Make It a Conversation, Not a Lecture

Nobody wants to be talked at for 20 minutes. The fastest way to get your team to actually listen? Let them talk.

✅ Ask for input—what’s working, what’s not, what’s pissing them off?

✅ Let them problem-solve—give them real scenarios and let them offer solutions.

✅ Make it interactive—roleplay a bad customer situation or a difficult upsell.

When staff feel heard, they stay engaged. And when they’re engaged, they’re way more likely to implement what you say.

3. The ‘Likeability Factor’—Why It Pays to Be Respected AND Liked

Old-school hospitality taught us that fear-based leadership gets results. But in 2025? People quit toxic environments fast. You don’t need to be their best friend, but if your team respects AND likes you, they’ll work harder—for you and for the business.

🚫 Yelling or public call-outs? Kills morale.

🚫 Passive-aggressive rules? Staff will ignore them out of spite.

🚫 Threatening hours or shifts? Congrats, you just made them care less.

Instead:

✅ Lead by example—work a bar shift, bus a table, show them you’re in it too.

✅ Show appreciation—shout out wins, celebrate top sellers, thank people.

✅ Be approachable—your best staff won’t speak up if they’re scared of you.

When your staff feels valued, they sell harder. And that means more money in the till.

4. Every Meeting Should Have a $$$ Focus

Your team cares about one thing—how to make more money. So make that the focus of your meetings.

💡 Instead of: “We need to push more cocktails.”

🔹 Say: “Every cocktail you upsell adds $2 in tips per shift.”

💡 Instead of: “Service times need to be faster.”

🔹 Say: “The faster we flip tables, the more people we serve, the bigger the tips for you.”

Tie everything back to money, and suddenly, they’re listening.

5. Energy In = Energy Out

If you walk into a meeting looking like you hate being there, guess what? Your staff will match that energy. Hospitality is a momentum game—your energy dictates theirs.

🔥 Be sharp, be quick, be clear.

🔥 Don’t just talk—engage, challenge, motivate.

🔥 Set the tone—because your team will follow it.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Tight, Keep It Real, Keep It Profitable

A great staff meeting isn’t just about rules and reminders. It’s about culture, energy, and keeping everyone aligned on making more money.

When your staff respects you, they listen. When they listen, they execute. When they execute, the venue makes more money. And when the venue makes more money, everyone wins!

And here’s the bonus—when your staff actually likes working for you, they stick around. Hospitality has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry, and constantly hiring, training, and replacing people is exhausting. But when your team feels valued, they stay. And when they stay, they get better. And when they get better? Your venue makes even more money.

So next time you run a staff meeting, ask yourself—are you giving them a reason to care? If not, change the way you run it. Your bottom line depends on it.

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