Customers know soon after they walk into a restaurant what kind of environment they have entered. They know by how the staff greets them when they walk in, they can observe employees’ interactions and know when someone is grumpy or tempers seem short. Of course, people have bad days, but the overall vibe of your restaurant shouldnt be stiff and hostile. As a restaurant operator, it is important to ask yourself how you want your restaurant to be perceived and what you can do to help employees see your vision and buy into it, as well as have them take pride in where they work.
Having employees who understand the vision, have a feeling of ownership over their role and share in your restaurant’s success is going to help employee retention, boost reviews, and hopefully increase profit. It doesn’t matter if you are a brand new restaurant or an established brand that has been around for a while, this is something that can help take your restaurant to the next level.
Some obvious motivators for employees are things we have discussed before, such as pay increases and having a scheduling system that allows for employees to easily change shifts and communicate with their fellow employees and managers, offering an occasional bonus or having an employee of the month. These are all great ideas and should be done if you have the financial ability, but we will cover a couple of other things that will increase team morale and get your staff moving in the right direction.
Educate
This goes deeper than a one day orientation or week long training an employee might get when they are initially hired. This is going to be an ongoing process that keeps everyone well informed and on the same page. Educate your staff on what is expected of them. Go into detail about how they should communicate with customers, what the dress code is, the best way to communicate with the team, and how to perform each task that is expected of them. Never assume that they know how to do something. If you want floors cleaned each night before close, go over in detail what that should look like. Be specific and leave room for questions and feedback. If you have the mindset that an employee will not be there long, so what is the point in having a detailed training, you are mistaken. The more information they have, the more they feel empowered to do their job well and stick around. Do not merely educate them on their role as your staff member, but be sure to also include your restaurants’ mission, vision, culture, and values.
Provide Opportunities
Create room for your employees to use their gifts. Some might be creative and artsy while others are leaders or encouragers. Having managers ask employees what their strengths, hobbies and extra curricular activities are can give them insight into what makes them tick and they can then utilize employees strengths to help them grow as individuals, while also helping the business thrive. You could have your creative people help with social media, create new food combinations, or decorate your chalkboard that tells people what your daily or weekly specials are. When employees are able to use their skills they will feel a stronger sense of pride in their work and connection to the workplace.
Another way to provide opportunities is to include the staff when there is a problem in the workplace. When people are able to brainstorm, strategize and problem solve together as a team, that builds relationships in the workplace. Of course, you have to decide what problems should be brought to the table and which ones should be solved by management, but allowing others in on the process is a great way to help employees feel valued and take ownership of their work.
There are so many ways to make your workplace a happier and healthier environment. It takes some time and effort, but the effects of building a team of people who can work well together and enjoy what they do has proven to help with employee retention as well as your overall business.
