In the dynamic and ever-evolving hospitality industry, staying on the ball has never been more critical for your business’s stability, success, and growth.
It might seem overwhelming, but keeping things flowing is actually simple. Here are some important restaurant staff management tips to help you create a work environment that benefits your staff, your business, and yourself.
Table of Contents
Create Unity
The service industry is tough on everyone, so creating that united “teamwork” feeling is essential for staff morale and support. This starts with something as small as matching uniforms – invest in button-ups or matching country club sweaters for your staff to wear while they’re on the clock.
Hold weekly staff meetings that include everyone from the waiters to the cleaning crew to find out how everyone is doing, discover where there are hiccups, take suggestions, and address any problems you’ve noticed yourself. Keeping an open line of communication between your employees and yourself will help create that united feeling, and boost the overall camaraderie in your restaurant. These positive vibes will spill over into your patrons’ experience too!
Foster a Positive Work Environment
Not only do you need to unite your staff and make them feel part of a team, but you also need to make sure that the overall vibe at work is a positive one (it doesn’t help that they’re united in negativity and frustration over their jobs).
Do this by offering recognition and rewards for outstanding performance and being mindful of the tough hours that need to be worked in the service industry. Make sure you’re paying a fair wage, and don’t put unnecessary pressure on your employees by understaffing your restaurant, especially over busier seasons. This doesn’t mean that you should allow your staff to be lazy, but implementing a dose of compassion and ensuring that you have the necessary backup (especially over weekends) is important.
Use Tech for Efficient Scheduling
Make sure that your staff scheduling is fair to everyone and takes personal needs into account, as well. Making use of one of the various software programs or apps for staff scheduling will make things simpler and more efficient, and you can also incorporate predictive scheduling to make sure things are fair and that you’re optimizing your staff allocation.
You should also use technology (like the simple blessing of a group chat) to make sure you’re getting real-time updates from your staff on their availability and any changes that might need to be made.
Implement Ongoing Training
Regular training is a crucial aspect of any growing business, even in the restaurant industry. Make sure that any new staff is thoroughly trained and educated on the specifics of your restaurant, the menu, administrative tasks, and other important knowledge.
You can use both digital and interactive training methods, and consider implementing cross-training to enhance your employees’ skill sets and increase the overall flexibility in your staff base. This will not only benefit your business but enhance your employees’ overall job satisfaction and feelings of fulfillment in their work.
Prioritize Communication
In any work environment, good communication is key. We’ve already mentioned that holding regular team meetings is important for updates and feedback, and you should encourage open communication from all staff members.
Being open to suggestions and even complaints from your staff will make you a better manager and will make your employees feel more comfortable to come to you with problems they’re having. This might sound like a lot of drama, but being able to handle issues quickly and efficiently (before they escalate) is much better for your business than if the problem were to fester due to staff feeling too uncomfortable to speak up.
Emphasize Health and Safety Protocols
A final yet crucial consideration to make is health and safety. At any given time, all staff members need to be trained on protocols, and your business needs to follow proper health and safety measures.
Neglecting this can not only put your employees and your assets at risk but also holds serious legal repercussions in the event of something going seriously wrong. Make sure you have a clear understanding of health and safety regulations in your state, and make it your personal mission to ensure that your staff and patrons are never at risk of something going wrong due to your own negligence.