Layout the Essentials

The product of your business lies in your staff, they will create the atmosphere that customers rely on and will also be the basis of your reviews. It’s not solely the food or beverages that come to your table, it’s about how your server can change the evening from ordinary to enjoyable.

On the topic of staff, go back to the beginning and take your hiring processes into deep consideration. You may have a heap of resume’s in the cabinet of the bar, or lying between the stove and back bench of the kitchen- there just isn’t enough time to go through them all. And that’s the thing, swiping through these sheets of paper, with people’s experience’s and words laid out in front of you, isn’t actually that beneficial in the long run. You need to meet them and feel their energy, their personality and hear their determination. No matter how much experience an individual may have, it doesn’t mean that they are good within the hospitality industry. You must assess their presence and understand whether they are the type who can withstand the business, based on their uplifting and patient personality or if they are only there to finish their shifts and pick up their papers.

There are many businesses out there that only hire on the terms of personality, knowing that they will be able to train that individual successfully. If you find someone who has just moved into the industry and lacks experience, but comes in with an open, positive and excited mind, they will more likely be better for your business in the future and will be easier to manage. Good attitudes mean good performance, so take this into consideration when hiring your next team member. Also, some people who have worked in the business for a long time might get a hierarchy complex, so make sure this doesn’t exist, and allow your teams to have an open mind and an approachable presence.

Also factoring in hospitality management, don’t forget to tie in your online reputation to the customer’s overall expectation. This can be furthered by building a customer database, allowing your marketing plan to extend to emailing, which might in fact hit a different area of your clientele. Not every one uses social media, and communication via email can be more effective. Be on top of these lists and section off customers needs in order to send specific promotional products to the right clients.

Engage Your Staff

Your staff remain the core voice of your establishment, and need to have adapted a mindset which adds value to the business. To relay this information, you must work to integrate these values into their daily shifts, because if they have not internalised what you believe in, they won’t deliver it.

To begin with, make sure your staff have clear briefings before service starts. This is imperative in managing your staff’s knowledge and motivation towards your customer’s experience. By coming into work half an hour earlier and giving a brief, your staff’s motivation will remain higher and more focused throughout their shift. Also adding a reward factor will increase this focus point, by rewarding your staff for their good effort and skill, they will be more likely to continue on that path and develop further. If they aren’t up-to-date with what’s happening within the kitchen and the overall venue, they will end up looking bad and furthermore, make your business look disengaged.

The key factor in keeping your staff engaged, is by keeping their knowledge up-to-date and in the routine of learning within each service. So make sure that they have tasted all the dishes on the menu, along with the specials, resulting in an understanding of the product and an answer to each customer’s questions. If a customer asks a specific question about the steak sauce or how the daily soup special is different from the rest, you need to be reassured that your staff can provide an honest, smart and helpful answer. If they can’t answer, it appears as though the floor staff and kitchen are not communicating, and then it comes back to you- so look after them and make sure they are given the right information.

During service, things can get hectic and customers can pour in all at once or not at all. But if all gets too overwhelming for some of your servers, remind them noticing and acknowledging each customer is priority. If the customer feels special, they will understand that your busy and need to attend to other tables. Also be honest with each guest and let them know what is happening for the night and that there might be a wait, this will then lead the customer to trust the server and rely on them for the night.