In our rush-rush 24/7 world, so many of us — myself included — can end up on auto-drive, cruising through each day and each new opportunity without a thought as to WHY we're doing exactly what we're doing. We get distracted by the noise of life and keep chugging along. Before we know it, we've strayed too far away from our purpose.

The same goes for restaurateurs. If you haven't yet identified why you're truly in this industry — the WHY behind it all — you may struggle unnecessarily to find your bearings, and in turn, have trouble leading your team by example and establishing a sustainable company culture.

Uncover Your WHY

Digging into the details of your WHY may seem awkward or difficult at first, but these questions can get things flowing:

• What am I most passionate about?

• If time and money were limitless, what type of restaurant would I want to create?

• What traits do I admire among other restaurateurs?

• At a core level, what drives me to make my restaurant successful?

• When people are talking to others about my restaurant, what would I most like to hear them say?

Once you've dug deep with these questions, it's time to integrate your answers — your WHY —with your restaurant concept. And for that, you'll want to establish some guidelines.

Define Your Guidelines

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