Do you appreciate your restaurant staff? If you’re a leader in the restaurant industry, the answer is yes. The pandemic has without a doubt changed a lot. Appreciate your staff working day-in and day-out to keep you afloat. As a restaurant owner, you need grit and you need dedication. Having a staff that has your back makes the world of difference. Happy employees means a successful restaurant. Read on to learn how to appreciate your restaurant staff.
Invest in Your Restaurant Staff
It’s not about money. Clearly. It’s about the people, so invest in people and the money will take care of itself. When you invest in employees and customers, the financial dreams will come true. You decision making is limited when you let the dollar be the byproduct of the larger focus. Investing can be in their wages, health benefits, performance bonuses, or company retreats during days (if applicable) when your establishment is closed.
If your restaurant is still open, chances are, you have a fantastic staff to thank. The successful business owners – the big name people are successful because they have a humanistic side and their mentality is set on helping others. The people before the dollar. The restaurants that will survive will survive because they had the people-focused and customer focused mentality to deliver.
Train Your Restaurant Staff
Most independent restaurants fail because they are unable to obtain and retain quality staff. Train your staff well. A lot of errors happen due to a lack of initial training. By providing your employees the time to train, you are showing respect for them and their prospective success. Showing your employees that you care about how well they do so that they can be successful will, in turn, give them a sense of purpose.
Dress Them For Success
If you want your staff to look presentable, provide them with work attire. In high school, the pride of a uniform went a long way. Provide your staff with aprons and a uniform for a polished and clean look. A nice uniform to an employee increases their sense of pride and most people want to show off their cool work swag. When your staff look and feel well, they will perform well and your customers will see it. Not only will your staff appreciate the t-shirt for mobile branding, but this is also an easy way for them to be identifiable to customers.
Interact and Get to Know Your Staff
You’re human and so are they. Outside of their working responsibilities, show interest in their lives outside of the kitchen. How’s school? How are the kids doing? How are you? It’s truly the little things and the easy effort of asking questions that give off the healthy impression that you genuinely care about your staff. Encourage a workspace that is open and supportive. Life happens. Positively interacting with your employees is a great way to show how to appreciate your restaurant staff.
Respect Your Staff
One of the main reasons staff end up leaving is the lack of respect your show them. Don’t disrespect your staff. This should be a no-brainer, but with the high stress levels, it’s easier said than done. As a restaurant owner or head-chef, you are in a position of authority. However, this is not your opportunity to mistreat your staff or allow them to feel inferior. Rather, you should want to empower and mentor them. The amount of respect you show them, they will give to you in return. Treat your staff kindly. Be kind. What you give is what you get.
Have a Plan For Your Staff to Rely On
Do you have an effective payroll system? Can your staff contact you easily? Are you accessible when your staff need you? And, are there systems in place so that your staff knows what to do in any given situation? Save yourself time and the headaches by having systems in place.
Where do your staff request time off? How do they know which shift they are covering or someone is covering for them? Do you know who is on staff when you walk into your restaurant? If the answer is no, you need to implement a better system to reduce any confusion.
Feed Your Staff
This doesn’t mean allow them to use your kitchen stock for groceries. This does mean you give them an option to have a meal before or after their shift begins. As a former waitress, I remember arriving early to my shift, both to properly prepare and to have a quick meal to fuel me for my long shift. Restaurant staff are getting a lot of steps in. They cannot perform well if they are not energized.
Give Your Staff a Feeling of Purpose
Whether they are a dish-washer, waiter, bartender or chef. Treat all of your staff as though each and everyone of them have a purpose. Together you are all working as a team. Treat the dish-washer with the same amount of respect as you give the chef. Title doesn’t define the human. Give them responsibilities that show that you trust them. If you want your staff to work hard, allow them to feel the work they are doing is meaningful and that it matters.
Your Staff Crave Respect and Compassion Over Money
How to appreciate your restaurant staff isn’t just about money. Oftentimes, it’s a matter of respect and compassion. Offering better wages and health insurance is a huge plus. If you have the means to offer better wages and health insurance, do it. You will not only attract more employees but you will keep them.
More than that, training your staff for success will keep them positive and motivated. Respecting them as humans and getting to know them will benefit the entire team and your bottom line. A survey by Georgetown University sent out to 20,000 respondents indicated respect as the most important factor for employees. Allow your staff to look and feel good. You don’t want to worry about turnover and on-boarding is timely and costly.
The bottom line is such: Respect your staff. The amount of respect, training, pride, purpose and systems will make or break your restaurant.
