STAFF: 4 Reasons Why You Need Staff Feedback at Your Restaurant
As restaurant operators and managers, we’re obsessed with what our guests think of us. And it makes sense. Guests are the ones carrying the cash, so happy guests turn into a happy sales report, right? So, we obsess over what they think of us. We scour Yelp reviews and ratings on our Facebook page. But by focusing on making our guests happy we can’t ignore what our staff has to say. Here are some reasons why you should regularly ask your staff for feedback.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Battle Chef Brigade
Know what’s cooler than being a regular ol’ chef? Being a monster-cooking battle chef. Battle Chef Brigade is a fantasy video game in which you play a character who comes from a long family line of restauranteurs, but want to be a battle chef instead. You join ab elite squad of culinary soldiers to protect the populace from monsters attacking the kingdom and turn them into culinary masterpieces. And who doesn’t want that?
Heroes?
In Germany, only 15% of the public consider members of the Bundeswehr heroes while a further 18% say this label should only be applied to personnel in combat roles or those who have actually seen combat. In Germany, negative public views of the military and Berlin's reluctance to participate in overseas operations are rooted in history. When Bundeswehr soldiers were deployed to Kosovo in 1999 and experienced combat for the first time, there was uproar. Involvement in Afghanistan is also unpopular and that deployment has become the largest the German military has participated in since World War II. By May of 2013, 54 German soldiers and three policemen had been killed in Afghanistan.
Mac & Cheese Yuletide
Know how to make candy canes even better? Make them mac & cheese flavored… apparently. Seattle-based confectionery company Archie McPhee is making mad food science by creating these monstrosities. But don’t worry, they also have clam, bacon, pickle and rotisserie chicken flavor candy canes too. 🤮 🤮
I’VE GOT A TIP FOR YOU
Why it matters to you: Tipping rules have changed and you may not be aware.
Are you aware of the Tip Protection Act of 2018? This was an amendment added to legislation this year that regulates who is eligible for participation in tip share and under what circumstances. While the language is specific on eligibility, there are still plenty of questions that abound. This article attempts to clarify, so let’s start with the basics. There are three basic parts:
No employee of your restaurant from the supervisors up can take part in tip pools.
Tip pooling is no longer prohibited if employees are paid the full minimum wage (no tip credit).
All employees from FoH to BoH can participate in tip pools.
Straight forward, right? Well, maybe not so much. There is no clarification for those locations that can apply tip credits. But since it’s up to you who can participate you don’t have to share across your entire team. You may consider sharing tips with BoH staff if you pay full minimum wage. After all, why shouldn’t your entire team benefit from the service reward they all participated in.
[Source: Modern Restaurant Management]
GET FAST OR DIE TRYING
Why it matters to you: Sure fast food needs to be fast, but does full service?
If you didn’t know it, consumer spending was up 4% from the two years prior to $605 billion in just the second quarter 2017. Unfortunately for most of our subscribers, that growth came to fast food and fast casual operators (95% of our audience are full-service & casual-dining outlets). As a result, companies like Brinker International and Chili’s brand have returned to “lunch time guarantees” and speed of service improvements.
Any effort to improve service demands that you be thoughtful. Remember, any change you make to your operations may have unintended consequences. When you are ready to tackle speed of service don’t forget to consider these three key elements: food safety, operational organization/checklists, and including your staff in the process.
You need only spend a few minutes monitoring your ticket times during high volume to assess your speed performance. Or check the total dwell times during lunch to see just how organized your systems really are for service. You don’t need a consultant, you need to look closely and fix your speed issues or your guests will go elsewhere.
[Source: FSR Magazine]
