There’s this thing I used to do in university. I’d be deep into sculpting hands in clay, totally absorbed for a few weeks and then I’d stop. I’d leave the piece, go paint for a month. No touching, no tweaking, no staring. Then I’d come back. And every single time, I’d see something I’d never seen before. Something I couldn’t see when I was buried in the work.
I didn’t know it then, but I was training my eyes to see better. That break? That pause? It created clarity. And that little principle? It works just as well in restaurants as it does in art studios.
In this foodservice & hospitality industry, we live in the trenches. Orders, prep lists, POS issues, sick calls, broken freezers. We’re inside it all, every day. But sometimes, the best way to lead a restaurant isn’t from the line it’s from a few steps back.
Let me explain.
The Stats Behind Seeing (and Not Seeing)
Research out of MIT shows we only consciously process about 120 bits of information per second. The average restaurant dining room? Clocks in closer to 11 million. That means most of what’s happening around us guests, team energy, atmosphere, subtle cues is being filtered, missed, or auto-piloted through our brains.
We think we’re seeing everything, but we’re not.
Our brains prioritize what’s urgent over what’s important. That means ticket times, not table vibes. It means inventory counts, not guest curiosity. And that creates blind spots, costly ones.
What Operators Often Miss
The Shift in Guest Mood You might see full tables. But you might miss the change in energy guests lingering less, tipping less, ordering fewer apps. The vibe matters, especially when 72% of Canadians think we’re in or heading into a recession. That mood shift shows up in small ways long before it hits your bottom line.
The Team Dynamics You think the kitchen’s fine because the food’s going out. But maybe you didn’t see the friction between sauté and expo. Or that the new server is already being iced out by the veterans. Culture shows up in the in-betweens.
The Innovation Fatigue Chains that change with the times and update their menus smartly rank higher in guest satisfaction. But if you’re too close to your menu, you might not see how stale it’s become. That signature dish you love? Might be dragging down your whole average check because it’s out of sync with guest cravings.
Operational Cracks Food cost feels high, but you “can’t find the leak.” That’s because you’re looking at invoices, not behaviours. Step back and actually watch the line. Watch how waste happens. Or don’t just check the prep sheet ask who fills it, when, and how they guess what’s needed.
So, What Do You Do?
Here’s the move: intentional stepping away.
Every 30 days, take one day to do nothing but observe. No working, no helping, no solving. Just watch. Walk your own restaurant like a mystery diner. Sit in the back booth during service. Ride along with your delivery guy. Listen to how your phone is answered. It’ll show you more than your P&L ever could.
Or go bigger: spend a Saturday eating at your competitors’. Not to judge just to feel what their guests feel. Or go volunteer at a friend’s restaurant in a totally different segment. You’ll spot 10 things you didn’t know you weren’t seeing in your own operation.
And if that still feels indulgent or “not urgent”? Remember this: the operators winning right now are the ones adapting fastest. You can’t adapt if you don’t see.
Build a Culture of Pause
Here’s the kicker. This isn’t just about you.
Train your team to step back, too.
Teach line cooks to plate, then step back and actually look at the plate like a guest would.
Coach your GMs to audit a service once a week without running it just watching it.
Ask your FOH team to take a seat at a table at the start of every shift and see the room through a guest’s eyes.
Little rituals. Big impact.
Why It Works
Cognitive science calls this “inattentional blindness.” It’s not about how good you are it’s about how human you are. When you’re too close, you literally can’t see.
But when you back up? Patterns emerge. Signals get louder. Cracks become obvious. You get your edge back.
And let’s be honest. In 2025, with prime costs climbing and margins tighter than ever, you need every edge you can get.
So pause. Walk away from the sculpture. Let your eyes reset.
Then come back. You’ll see what you couldn’t before.
