Most teams are capable. Weak leadership makes them look otherwise.

13 Apr 2026 · 0 min

Watch on YouTube

0:18

In this brief interview segment, Donald Burns asks about unpopular opinions regarding the restaurant industry. The guest counters the common belief that the industry is filled with bad people and cooks, asserting that most workers are talented and well‑intentioned. The discussion then shifts to leadership, with the guest claiming that many managers are lazy and fail to lead, merely managing day‑to‑day tasks. This lack of effective leadership, rather than a shortage of talent, is presented as the primary reason teams underperform, mirroring a similar dynamic observed in other professions such as policing.

What's kind of an unpopular opinion you think that people have about the restaurant industry?
That there's a lot of bad people in there and, um, there's bad cooks. Yeah, there's bad, um, people in the industry. I think a lot of people are really— I think a lot of people are really good.
Um, same thing like we talked about being police officers.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think there's like, there's a lot of talent, but I think the leadership, um, I think a lot of leadership are lazy. That's definitely what it is. Especially managers, you know, they don't— and when I say managers, right, they manage, they don't lead.
Exactly.
So, you know, for me, I always try to make sure— I always, you know, make sure that my employees are happy and, you know, my customers are happy because if they're not happy, then I'm not doing a good job. So how do I lead them and make sure that, you know, they're in a good place? And I think a lot, a lot of leaders are, you know, they have that like, I don't know if it's ego or laziness or maybe, maybe, you know, a little incompetence, but they just, they don't care as much, right? And they're just showing up, getting paid.