The Myth of the “Unmotivated Staff Member”
Hospitality owners often say:
“My team just doesn’t care.”
“No one’s taking ownership.”
“I’ve explained it a hundred times.”
But it’s usually not a motivation problem. It’s a visibility problem.
If your team doesn’t know:
- What the goals are
- How they’re tracking
- What good looks like
… then don’t be surprised when they go through the motions.
A Scoreboard Creates Focus
People naturally want to win. But you can’t win a game without knowing:
- What the score is
- What position you’re playing
- What’s expected this week
That’s what a scoreboard solves. It puts performance front and centre, without needing a lecture or a spreadsheet buried in someone’s inbox.
What Makes a Good Scoreboard?
At Profitability Partners, we coach venues to track the 3 metrics that matter most:
- Sales vs Target
- Wages % (separately for FOH and BOH)
- COGS % (kitchen and bar)
Each department sees only what they influence:
- Chefs are responsible for food sales, food wages, and food COGS
- Managers are responsible for total sales, FOH wages, and overall performance
- Bar managers can be shown beverage COGS and staffing costs
Everyone has a role. Everyone has a number.
The Power of Visual Feedback
We’ve seen dramatic improvements just by showing the score weekly:
- Wage % drops from 35% to 28%
- COGS improves through smarter purchasing and specials
- Managers start planning rosters based on forecasts, not gut feel
Why? Because they’re competing with themselves.
They want to improve. They want to win.
What About Bonuses?
Bonuses without a scoreboard don’t work.
Scoreboards without a bonus can work.
But the best combination?
🎯 Visibility + coaching + reward for hitting the goal
We help our clients set achievable targets and use structured improvement sessions to support the team every week.
How to Start
You don’t need fancy software. You need:
- A whiteboard or weekly printout
- Weekly data from POS, payroll, and supplier invoices
- 15 minutes per week to review results and plan the next move
Plan → Execute → Results → Improve.
That’s the PERI framework in action.
Final Word: Stop Guessing. Start Tracking.
Most people want to do a good job.
They just don’t know if they’re winning — or losing.
If you’re tired of repeating yourself and still not seeing change, your team probably doesn’t need more talks. They need clarity, focus, and a scoreboard.
Need help building yours?
At Profitability Partners, we coach venue teams using real numbers, not wishful thinking. Let’s build you a scoreboard that changes everything.
