MANAGEMENT: Are We Really This Dumb in the Restaurant Industry?
Can we all agree these are extraordinary times when it comes to staffing your restaurant? There just aren’t enough interested and qualified people to populate our teams. It also seems there’s little hope that is going to change with historic levels of unemployment. Which is why Megan Hunter’s story is a total headscratcher.
If you don’t already know, Megan was a server at her local Chili’s when she entered a management training program at the encouragement of one of her supervisors. Unfortunately, the story has some ugly twists and turns, and it all focuses on one thing: Megan dressed in a traditionally masculine fashion for work.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Ketchup Caviar
We’re assuming this is for the people who – for some reason – enjoy eating ketchup solo. But, Heinz is releasing a limited-edition “Ketchup Caviar” in time for Valentine’s Day. The company says that its ketchup is fancy enough for a romantic dinner. In reality, this is just small ketchup pebbles in a glass jar. Between this and all the zany promos KFC comes up with we’re wondering what will be next.
Jobless Claims Hits New Low
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, so-called initial jobless claims fell to 199,000 in the week ending January 19, a level last seen in November 1969. While that certainly is good news underscoring the strength of the U.S. job market, Thursday’s announcement by the Department of Labor also included some bad news: initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits filed by Federal civilian employees jumped to 24,681 in the week ending January 5, as thousands of furloughed government workers sought temporary relief from not getting paid during the longest shutdown in US history.
SI TV Lands Liverpool
SI TV, Sports Illustrated’s OTT service, has mainly focused on original documentaries, shows and archive sports movies. However, they’re dipping their toes into actual games. SI TV has inked a deal with Liverpool for full replays in all matches and competitions, plus classic matches and shoulder programming. Some will air in a three-hour block in the service’s linear feed, while others will be available on-demand.
FOLLOW TO COLONEL TO A RESPONSIBLE VICTORY
Why it matters to you: Turns out KFC is the rock star of responsible corporate behavior.
One day, we might live in a culture that takes sustainability and environmental stewardship seriously, but that won’t happen without leadership. Enter the Colonel to lead us to the high ground of responsible corporate behavior. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has pledged to eliminate non-recoverable or non-reusable plastic-based packaging from its global supply chain by 2025. This type of commitment from an international chain is unusual, but not for KFC. The NRN infographic depicts all of their efforts to conduct their business with an eye towards being an involved and effective corporate citizen.
They’ve done a lot, everything from their commitment in 2018 to eliminate all antibiotics from their chicken products in the UK to feeding 120,000 children in South Africa through their Add Hope program. Who knew the Colonel would be the leader we need in today’s morass of corporate turpitude? We have always advocated for our operators to add purpose to their corporate mission. When you add a community component to your mission, you simultaneously do good and get to feel good about your business’s impact on your community. Sure, it’s a little bit of hyperbole, but when someone (or some company) is doing “good,” a little puffery isn’t a bad thing.
[Source: Nation’s Restaurant News]
GET ‘EM TO STICK AROUND
Why it matters to you: Employee retention continues to be crucial to the future of your business.
Staffing in today’s business environment can be challenging, that’s why we should all focus more on retention. There are many ways to differentiate yourself as an employer, but they all require discipline and patience to be successful. One terrific way to gather inspiration and best practices for any aspect of your business is to learn what your peers are doing to achieve the goal you have set for yourself. This blog on How Smart Operators Avoid Employee Turnover features three operators in distinct market segments and what they are doing to reduce turnover and the outrageous expenses they represent. One of these operators described a particularly interesting program they run which facilitates the interaction of young employees in their Young Leaders program with corporate executives.
David Miller of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants explains that their management turnover is less than 10% and they have promoted six GMs or Executive Chefs from the program since its inception. The two way communication allows both employee and executive to benefit from the program. This program is a perfect match to the needs of our current and future generation of managers and has had a dramatic effect on their business. The simple motivation of giving their staff a reason to stick around has meant even more to their success. That’s just another argument as to the importance of focusing on retention and its value to your business.
[Source: FSR Magazine]
