Sep 2, 2026 · 20 min · 11 segments
Every great GM is supposed to want the next title. Regional. Director. Bigger scope. More locations. But what if promoting your best operator is the fastest way to weaken your best restaurant?…
Christin MarvinGuestAnthonyHostI totally agree with you.
And I've got two follow-up points I'm curious now.
So I agree that development can look very different.
It can be linear.
It can be nonlinear, right? There's different ways to go about that.
But then how come the industry so commonly...
it doesn't pay like the promoter's vertical.
Meaning if you, if the path could be keeping a GM in the role for 20 years, because that's the move for that GM and that's the move for the guest, then why aren't we paying a 20 year GM the same or more than a regional director? Like, I almost think you'd be angry about that than I am.
Like, it feels like the path sounds good to say, but doesn't deliver.
And that's why we see people burning out at 45, 55 years old.
Yeah.
Because there's not a benefit, so they feel they have to move up in the system.
So how do you take that?
We don't think about that type of... runway or roadmap to I'm going to keep a GM for 20 years.
People think, oh, you know, we tell ourselves all the time, oh, people don't want to do this as a career anymore.
Oh, the younger generation of people that come in, they don't want to do this as a career.
I think, does it, you know, my question, the question that's coming up for me right now is, should a 20-year GM make the same as a regional manager? I would say no, because the jobs are completely different.
You've got, and I think that pay should be based off of exactly what the responsibilities are of the job.
You've got a regional who may be overseeing $10 million in business, $20 million in business.
I totally agree with you.
And I've got two follow-up points I'm curious now.
So I agree that development can look very different.
It can be linear.
It can be nonlinear, right? There's different ways to go about that.
But then how come the industry so commonly...
it doesn't pay like the promoter's vertical.
Meaning if you, if the path could be keeping a GM in the role for 20 years, because that's the move for that GM and that's the move for the guest, then why aren't we paying a 20 year GM the same or more than a regional director? Like, I almost think you'd be angry about that than I am.
Like, it feels like the path sounds good to say, but doesn't deliver.
And that's why we see people burning out at 45, 55 years old.
Yeah.
Because there's not a benefit, so they feel they have to move up in the system.
So how do you take that?
We don't think about that type of... runway or roadmap to I'm going to keep a GM for 20 years.
People think, oh, you know, we tell ourselves all the time, oh, people don't want to do this as a career anymore.
Oh, the younger generation of people that come in, they don't want to do this as a career.
I think, does it, you know, my question, the question that's coming up for me right now is, should a 20-year GM make the same as a regional manager? I would say no, because the jobs are completely different.
You've got, and I think that pay should be based off of exactly what the responsibilities are of the job.
You've got a regional who may be overseeing $10 million in business, $20 million in business.
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