By Jeff Blaylock, Contributor
Running a restaurant, entrepreneurs know they have to keep guest satisfaction at the top of their priority lists. This comes down to two main objectives -- quality of food and quality of service.
While the quality of food is determined solely by your chef and the rest of the kitchen team, the quality of service delivered by other employees is your responsibility.
On-site training, flexible reward system, wise approach to recruitment – this all can help you enhance the quality of service. However, one thing that requires the most attention is your employee manual. Creating the best employee handbook for your team is vital in many ways.
This document is a combination of all-important information related to the job and employment terms. It is more than just a set of job-related key points and rules. A restaurant employee handbook shares the company’s policy, values, and objectives with the team, helping to align the goals and ensure customer satisfaction.
How To Create A Perfect Restaurant Handbook: Top Tips
Although the employee manual is an important and must-have document for every restaurant, many operators seem to overlook this matter. If for some reason you still don’t have such a handbook, now is just the right time to create one.
How to do this? Although it can be quite hard to shape a flawless manual, especially if you don’t have any prior experience with such documents, following these simple tips will help you get on the right track:
Intro
In a perfect world, people would read important documents word for word. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often in our reality. Therefore, you should be ready that employees will only quickly scan your handbook. That’s why writing an engaging introduction is a must! A powerful intro can help you engaged the readers to read the document to the end.
Here are the key things to include in the introduction:
Welcome message from restaurant’s authorities (e.g. owner, founder, general manager, etc.);
A short insight into the business’s history;
Key points on brand operations and positioning;
Table of contents;
Legal disclaimer.
Writing an intro that engages is the hardest part. Thus, if you lack experience or are not sure about the quality of your text, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help. There are plenty of companies that have a case study writer who can provide writing, proofreading, and editing help.
Restaurant’s Values & Mission
To align the team’s and brand’s objectives, it is vital to outline your core values and missions in a handbook. Some of the most common values to focus on are creativity, quality, teamwork, consistency, sustainability, etc.
Restaurant’s Code Of Conduct
Next in your manual should go an accurate code of conduct that defines all the following points:
Cell phone policy;
Tobacco policy;
Safety operations;
Dating policy;
Behaviors that are subject to disciplinary action.
Pay & Benefits
This is one of the most important sections in your handbook. Here, you should clearly state everything related to compensation and benefits your restaurant offers, including:
Policies related to breaks, meals, sick leaves, holidays, and vacations;
Payment methods and schedule;
Health insurance;
Policy regarding handling tips, etc.
Restaurant Staff Scheduling
Every good employee’s manual template should answer workers’ questions related to how their schedules will be planned. In this section, it is important to answer all questions on how to submit preferences, swap shifts, request time off, etc.
Anti-Harassment Statement
In the modern world, it is vital for an employer to take a clear stand against harassment in any of its forms and highlight that it will not be tolerated in the team.
Here are the key points to include in this section:
Clear definition of what will be considered as harassment;
What kinds of offenses are strictly prohibited and will initiate a punishment or dismissal;
A guide on how to report about such cases;
Conclusion
At the end of your document, you should drop a few lines to welcome new members to your team and share your final message. This part should be followed by space for the worker’s signature.
Final Words
There are plenty of reasons that stress the importance of having a company handbook for your business.
First of all, the main goal of this document is to introduce new employees to your company’s value, culture, and mission. It also defines what workers can expect and what is expected of them. Finally, handbooks state the benefits offered by a company, define its policies, and helps companies prevent employee claims.
As you can see, creating a clear and comprehensive employee manual is a necessity. Hopefully, the tips mentioned above will help you make your own handbook. Use them to drive you in the right direction and you will succeed.
About the Author
This article was written by Jeff Blaylock, a dedicated restaurant CEO with many years of experience. In business, Jeff is committed to excellence and insists that the quality of service he delivers is above all. In this article, Jeff stresses the importance of restaurants to have a clear employee manual and shares his tips on how to make one.
