Hire power

Restaurants are remarkably precise machines when it comes to preparing good food quickly and accurately. But most operations continually struggle to find and keep good employees.

 

Some claim the labor pool is shallow when it comes to great candidates, while others believe that great employees are developed from within the system, not born that way.

 

"You have that rare person who comes into interview who's the ideal employee," said Renee Evenson, an author of numerous books on customer service. "Relating back to my own experience ... I didn't have all the right attributes when I got my first job as a kid in fast food. So I know a lot of it can be taught."

 

If they're teachable, said Bill Marvin, a veteran restaurant owner-operator turned industry consultant also known as The Restaurant Doctor. "If they're not paying attention to you in a job interview, what are the odds they're going to pay attention to a customer in a sales situation? I want to know whether they're teachable, and if they're not listening to me then, I don't know if they're trainable."

 

No doubt, said Marvin, you want employees who like the buzz of the restaurant business and who like serving people regardless of whether they're up front or in back. So in the interview, "you have to find some evidence they take pride in their work," he said.

 

But since so many quick-service workers are young and may lack work history, you have to ask them about themselves, he added. "You could ask what recent accomplishments you've made that you take pride in and see what they say. Or you could ask what they do with their time off. If they're the type who has a plan and are active in different things, that's good. But if all they can say is, 'I don't know, hang out, I guess,' then that's not."

 

Great employees

What's Important Staff turnover in restaurants has never been higher, yet operators seem unable to slow the outflow of workers. Finding the right help doesn't always mean waiting for the perfect candidate. Great "coaches" see latent talent and focus on developing it to everyone's advantage. When employees perform well, praise them publicly and reward them meaningfully, not generically.

are energetic, Marvin added, and will like the varied activity of dealing with customers and coworkers. They feed off the pace of the business and like making people happy.

 

"It never hurts to ask, 'What kind of people do you like? And what kind of people irritate you?'" Marvin said. "If someone says, 'I like everybody,' then they're telling you what they think you want to hear."

 

 

John T. Self is a veteran chain restaurant operator and an associate professor at The Collins School of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. He said bad hires often are made when managers gamble on gut feelings about prospects instead of applying some real thought to the process.

 

"If you keep wishing everybody was like Bill, Pablo and Susie, then nail down the common traits they have and try to hire those with a like profile," Self said.

 

Not only did Self use the Bills, Pablos and Susies as new-hire models, they helped train new hires. Those employees not only met his restaurant's standards, they set a clear example of what others should do to match them — even the bad employees.

 

"Because they care, good employees will put peer pressure on others if they're not doing a good job," he said. "The good employees will actually elevate the bad employees." 

 

While finding good hires can be difficult, Self said weeding out the bad ones is considerably easier if you ask pointed questions such as, "Why do you want this job?" If the person merely wants pocket money, chances are he's not particularly motivated nor will he stick around long. But if a prospect expressed a need for work to pay for tuition or care for their family, Self found them more stable and dependable in the long-term.

 

 

Both Evenson and Marvin said great hires sometimes are found long after they come aboard. An upbeat extrovert hired to work in the kitchen, someone who makes friends easily with coworkers, could be well suited to associate with customers at the counter. Someone who shows exceptional organizational skills could be a good

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middle expediter, able to move food from the kitchen and into the hands of counterworkers and solve customer problems.

 

Such employees often are diamonds in the rough that need a little cutting and polishing through coaching, training and goal setting.

 

"Sometimes in life you find out what you should be doing by finding out what you shouldn't be doing," Marvin said. "You've got people at the counter who belong in maintenance, people in maintenance who belong in the kitchen, and people in the office who belong in jail.

 

"Good coaching is about looking at the talent you have and figuring out what you have to do to develop that talent to a point where you can win."

 

Sometimes that means letting someone go if they're not a good fit, Marvin said. But he cautioned against quick dismissals.

 

"If you've got someone in your organization who should have a career in auto parts, then the best thing you can do is help them get a career in auto parts," he said. "We spend a lot of time in this business trying to force people do things they're not really good at. But if it doesn't work out, don't just fire them, try finding out what might work for them."

 

Evenson said public praise and meaningful rewards are essential to getting employees to perform at peak potential.

 

"It's so important to tell them specifically what they're doing well and give positive feedback," said Evenson, whose next book, "Award-winning Customer Service," will publish in August. "I write in the book that intrinsic rewards are much longer lasting than extrinsic rewards. When you make them feel good about themselves, they feel good no matter what."

 

Self agreed, saying too often awards are given out of habit, not because employees truly earned them.

 

"The Employee of the Month award is one of the top-10 most stupid things we've ever done in business," he said. "The end of the month comes around and we think, 'Oh crap, I forgot we've got to do that! Let's pick him!' Everyone on staff knows it's not a true indicator of who's done the best, and they resent that."

 

Self said awards should be tailored to the recipient as much as possible. Money might be a great reward for someone with a family to care for, but two tickets to the next rock concert likely is a better prize for the young and single set. He even suggested giving free bus passes to workers without cars.

 

Research shows, Self added, that good employees want not only to excel in their jobs, they want to be involved in making the company successful. And when flaws are uncovered in the operation, they love to share their opinions on finding solutions.

 

"Say food cost or labor is high or service is lacking, form a focus group with four of your best employees, take them out and buy them lunch and ask them how to solve the problem," Self said. "I guarantee your employees can answer almost every single question. They probably already know the answers, but nobody asks them."

 

While it's human nature to give responsible people added responsibilities, don't overload great employees just because they're durable or even because they say yes to new assignments. If you continually run their tanks dry, they'll go elsewhere for a fill-up, Self said.

 

"I used to do this myself. I'd go to the same good employee over and over and ask if he could come in early or if he could cover for another employee," he said. "Ninety percent of the time those people will do it. But when you start to take them for granted without recognizing them and rewarding them, they leave. And in this industry, which has a horrible turnover problem, you've got to work to retain your people."