By Indiana Lee, Contributor
Though your restaurant should have good food and a unique atmosphere, if your front-of-house (FoH) staff is not functioning and they’re unhappy at work, your patronage could suffer. All it takes is one waiter or bartender to have a bad day and show it in front of the customers to create a bad impression. As a restaurant owner, you’ve likely learned how to make your team happier and more productive through training and monetary raises, but there’s more to the story.
Here are five surprising factors and how to turn things around for the better.
1. Lack of Technology
If you’re still using paper and relying on notes to determine who is working what tables, which tables are reserved, and which customers are or aren’t on the waiting list, then it’s inevitable that there will be confusion at some point and that can turn into frustration over time.
What you need is a good restaurant table management system. This isn’t a relatively new piece of tech. However, it can be a game-changer for your front-of-house staff. When a customer makes a reservation online, your staff can see it immediately and assign tables accordingly. Many of these programs also have server rotation capabilities, so the FoH staff knows where they’re going next so they can cater to the guests. There are several of these software packages available, and they can make everyone’s life at your restaurant much easier.
2. Unprofessional Friendships and Relationships
When we spend so much time at work, it’s only natural to start to forge friendships. But if those relationships get out of hand, it could cause major chaos up front. That’s not to say management needs to keep people apart. There are many benefits to friendships in the workplace, including creating a mutual level of trust among all employees and making a workplace where everyone feels like a unit, so they can cover other shifts and help co-workers when necessary.
Management must welcome every new employee with open arms, so that no one feels excluded because they may not work as part of the group, and that disconnect can cause issues for your diners.
The other problem becomes when those relationships get out of hand. If two co-workers are in a romantic relationship, their attention to one another could take them away from their work. If they happen to break up and they don’t have that mutual respect, then that can cause drama behind the scenes that will ultimately affect the customers. Management needs to put rules in place about relationships in the restaurant and decide whether they're allowed.
3. Poor Scheduling
If you’re the manager that creates the work schedule every week, then it can be easy to get carried away trying to find proper coverage over a long and busy week. This can cause your staff to become stretched thin. The other issue may be that you don’t have enough hours to go around, so your staff struggles to work enough to pay the bills, and those that do might feel overworked if there’s not enough coverage.
The key to avoiding scheduling issues is to speak to your front-of-house staff. Listen to their needs and then create the schedule accordingly. For example: some employees may request time off for religious reasons, so try to cater to them. If your staff knows that you care about them and their needs, they’ll likely show appreciation through their work.
4. Not Allowing Employees to Advance
Although you may be paying your front-of-house staff with what you see to be a reasonable wage, you also need to prioritize their wellness and think about their other needs. Many front-of-house employees like their jobs but desire to move up within the restaurant. If your group doesn’t offer that opportunity, their work may suffer as they look for a different job. Remedy this by making it known that yours is a restaurant that promotes leaders from within and provides a road map for their careers. They’re more likely to stick around and do their best work if they know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
You can also improve your employee wellness by stepping up your employee benefits package. Going above and beyond with childcare, gym memberships, and retirement perks can do wonders. These are benefits that show your appreciation and that you want to see your staff thrive in and outside of work.
5. Employees Lacking Positive Self-Image
If your employees have a poor self-image or low self-esteem, it could also affect their performance. That can be bad when they work in front of customers. Employees with a positive self-image will often be some of your best workers because they think highly of themselves and their skills. Plus, they’ll likely be more resilient and bounce back after moments of anxiety. Folks with positive self-opinions will also tend to take care of themselves more and dress to impress, which is important when working in front of an audience.
Allow upset employees to come to you by having an open-door policy and encourage the staff to come if they have any work issues. Pull up some resources if they come to you with serious issues. Many businesses offer mental health services to employees, and if yours does, then advise the employee.
Conclusion
These are the surprising factors that could be causing chaos among your front-of-house staff. If you have them at your establishment, then remedy the issue. Put your employees first, and the effort will show through their work ethic and the sales numbers at your restaurant.
