Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone...NOW

So what's the fastest way to stop your restaurant from running and ruining your life? Well, it's time to get out of your comfort zone. In this video, I'm going to share three things that you can start doing today to break free from your restaurant running. You. Hey, Donald Burns, the restaurant coach. You know that saying, if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got? Well, it's true. So you need to shake things up. The restaurant business is brutal, and it's not for the faint of heart. If you're willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, you can really thrive. If you're happy to just survive, you're probably going to fail. The truth is, most restaurants fail because they don't know how to market themselves. It's not that they don't have a good product. Most restaurants do. The problem is, is that they don't effectively communicate the value of of their pride to their guest. See, you're not communing that probably effectively either. Now, I'm not going to tell you that you're not communicating enough. You probably are, but you're not getting the results you want. The problem is, is you're not using the right words to get the results you want. You see, you're stuck in your comfort zone. The good news is that you can get out of your comfort zone and up to the next level, which I call is the profit zone. So let's have a talk about what is your comfort zone. Your comfort zone is that place where you're so familiar with something that it just feels natural. It's where you tend to stay because it's comfortable, it's easy. It's the status quo. It's like, you know, if you're driving to work, you probably take the same route every day. If you do, you're in your comfort zone. And if you're opening your restaurant and you're doing the same thing you did last week, last month, last year, then you're in your comfort zone. If you want to change your restaurant for the better, you really need to break out of that comfort zone. And if you want to break out, you need to stop doing the same things you've been doing and start doing some new things. That, my friends, is the hard part. Now, see, if you're like most people, you like the things you do because you're comfortable with them. You don't like change. Most people don't. You're afraid of it. And the unknown scares you. It scares all of us. And that's okay. I get it. I've been there, too. I see a lot of restaurants grow to the top, and I see a lot more sit in mediocrity. And I also see a lot of people get stuck in that middle, in that comfort zone. And the good news is that you can break out. You can break free. You just got to be ready to change your mindset. The number one thing if you want to break out of your comfort zone is you must change your mindset. You hear me preach about this all the time. You need to stop playing it safe, start taking some risks. Now, here are some things you can do that you must do to change your mindset. Number one, take action. Take a lot of action. If you really want to break out of your comfort zone, you need to take new action. Action is the only way to get results. And you've probably become very comfortable, like sitting in your chair right now. You might be very comfortable with the way your restaurant's currently performing, but if you want to see some real improvements in your restaurant, you need to drop out of that comfort zone and get into the next level. Taking action means taking small risks. It means taking that first step. It means doing something that you've never done before. Think about it this way. As the owner or operator, if you're the leader of the team, and if you want your team to be more motivated and take more action, then you need to be the example and take more action, too. You have to lead by example. Step number two is you got to get out of your head. Another reason people stay in their comfort zone way too long is that you think too much. You're always in your head, always thinking, always analyzing. That's not really good if you want to break out of your comfort zone. I mean, don't get me wrong, thinking is good, but thinking too much about the same thing and ruminating about it is bad. Your subconscious mind is like a superpower computer, and it can make calculations and take action with lightning speed. Now, you might think you're really good at math, but the truth is your subconscious mind is really doing all the heavy lifting. Think of your subconscious mind just kind of like a search engine, like a massive Google. It takes in the information and it searches for things. The problem is that it's kind of slow. It takes a lot of time to find the information in your head. And the problem with that is that the information in your head is probably not very accurate. See, when you're stuck in your comfort zone, you're always in your head. You're always thinking about things you're always analyzing, over analyzing, and you're trying to get answers to your problems. And sometimes that's a huge waste of time and energy. And wasting time and energy just keeps you stuck in that comfort zone. You think about what to do, you think about why you're stuck. You think about all the things you should do. If you want to break out of your comfort zone and get results, you need to stop thinking and start doing step number three. You gotta let go of the past. Most people get stuck in their comfort zone because they're looking backwards. It's like trying to drive a car looking through the rearview mirror. It doesn't work, work. And you know what I'm talking about. You've looking at all the things you did yesterday and comparing it to today. You're looking back at all the things you've done in the past and that you need to think that you need to do those same things over and over again. Problem is, the past is the past. When you stop looking back and start looking forward, you start making progress. Now, the past is a great teacher, don't get me wrong. But. But if you're stuck and stuck in that comfort zone, you're not learning from the past. You're just looking back and you're stuck in the past reliving the past. And that's not a good thing. You have to stop it, stop looking back, stop comparing what you did in the past, stop trying to be the person you were in the past. I mean, come on, the past is done. You can't go back. You can only really go forward if you really want to break free of your comfort zone and get to the profit zone to get the results you want. You need to get out of your head, stop looking back. And I mentioned this before, that words really matter. Language is super powerful. Words are the currencies that we use to communicate. And we have a lot of words in our vocabulary. The problem is that most of us only use a very small percentage of our words. Most of us communicate with a very limited vocabulary. When you communicate, you communicate with words. You use words to tell your team what to do. You use words to tell your guest about what you have to offer. You use words to tell the world about your restaurant. But here's the question. Are you using the right words? Are you using words that would get you the results you want? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you truly want to make a dramatic change in your restaurant, I would tell you this Change your words. You need to communicate differently, you need to communicate more effectively and you need to share your restaurant story. If you want to break out of your comfort zone, you need to start telling your story like a preacher. You need to tell your story over and over to your team. You need to tell your story over and over to your guests. You need to tell your story to the world. Remember, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. I mean, think about all the social media out there. Right now, we're in competition for limited attention. There are more and more restaurants opening faster than ever, and we're fast becoming a fast food nation. So it's hard to stand out in a crowd. If you don't tell your story, tell your why. You've heard us saying before, if you want to know where you're going, you need to know where you've been. And that's true for restaurants also. So you need to tell your story because your story is your brand and your brand is your story. The truth is, your brand is only as good as your story. If you don't tell your story, you're missing out on one of the most powerful tools that you have to communicate your brand to the world. When you don't tell your story, you're basically hiding. You're hiding from your past, you're hiding from your future. You're stuck once again back in that comfort zone. If you want to break out, tell your story. Tell your why. Tell your story. And the best way to tell your story is through video. Video is the number one way that people consume information today. In 2023, people watch more than 17 hours of video each week, and 91% of Internet users worldwide watch digital content. So if you want to break out of your comfort zone, you want to get into that profit zone, you need to start telling your story through video. And if you're still not sure, let me give you five real quick ways to start using video to tell your story and why you need video. Number one, Engagement. Video captures attention like no other medium. It engages multiple senses at once, making it more memorable and impactful. People are more likely to remember a video that they watch than a paragraph they read. So use this to your advantage and create engaging, captivating videos and that tell your restaurant story. Tell your why. Number two, Social media video is shared more often than any other type of content on social media. Creating shareable video content not only amplifies your story, but it can 10x your reach to potentially bringing in new guests every single day. Third reason for video is the emotional connection. Video has a unique ability to invoke emotion. A well crafted video can make your audience laugh, cry, feel inspired, make them hungry. By establishing an emotional connection with your viewers, you foster loyalty and a strong connection to your brand. Number four, it's a video showcase for a restaurant. The power of visual storytelling cannot be overstated. Showcasing your dishes, your staff, your culture, your atmosphere, people having a great time can effectively convey what you offer and make your guests feel as they're part of the experience. And you can't do that through just a static photo. And number five, authenticity. In an era where authenticity is highly valued, videos give you the opportunity to show real people behind your brand. You can foster this trust and loyalty among your guests, and they're going to feel connected to you and your team. Loyalty is everything in today's market. So remember, stepping out of your comfort zone is about doing things differently. It's about pushing your boundaries and challenging yourself. It's about taking action and leading by example. And if you can do that, if you can change your mindset and embrace the power of storytelling, your restaurant's not only going to survive, it's going to thrive. So get out there, tell your story, see your restaurant transform. It's time to break free out of your comfort zone. Zone. Now, make sure to like and subscribe to my channel for more tools and tips to make more and work less in your restaurant. And in my next video, I'm going to share my top tips for hiring better people.