Operations

How to build stronger quick-serve restaurant teams

Running a QSR team can be challenging. QSRs with the strongest teams invariably are the most prosperous. Those with strong teams also tend to be the most productive, most adept at problem solving and most likely to benefit from employee loyalty.

iStock Photo

June 22, 2022 by Brendan Bencharit — Chief Customer Officer, Squadle, Inc

Operating a quick serve restaurant (QSR) is always challenging. And the heart of that challenge is empowering individual employees and teams to have a stake in making the business successful. QSRs with the strongest teams invariably are the most prosperous. Those with strong teams also tend to be the most productive, most adept at problem solving and most likely to benefit from employee loyalty.

According to the University of Oxford, satisfied workforce can be as much as 13-20% more productive than those with low staff morale. Likewise, a diverse staff will be better at problem solving, which can translate into fewer food production inefficiencies and happier customers. All because stronger teams make for enhanced employee engagement and dedication to the brand. Happy employees tend to embody and fulfill a brand's goals. Consequently, QSRs with strong teams will experience higher employee retention rates and ideally attract top talent moving forward.

Let's look at some tried and true team building methods.

Staffing and time off

Managers are challenged to staff every shift efficiently. Similarly, employees also need to have visibility into the scheduling process. Managers can build employee trust with a consistent, pre-planned, and transparent scheduling process. With greater visibility into the scheduling process, employees have more control over their time as well as a better work-life balance. Without balance, they can experience heightened work stress.

A work scheduling software tool should let managers explore multiple staffing options based on preferred worker wages, hours and skill sets. This will enable the full spectrum of cooks, cashiers and wait staff to be deployed appropriately across shifts. For example, a newbie with less experience can be paired with a seasoned employee to ensure high-quality training. Likewise, staffing levels need to be adjusted to meet, but not exceed, customer demand. And let's not forget access to valuable vacation time, which gives employees time off to recharge their batteries.

Daily manager digital checklist

Digital restaurant checklists are designed to track complex and repetitive daily tasks and to align those tasks with business priorities. Checklists should include protocols for food safety, as well as employee and customer safety. A motivational tool that inspires staff to check all the boxes, the checklist also increases productivity, efficiency, and accuracy. Managers can delegate tasks to the entire team, and reduce mistakes when they have full visibility into daily operations. Overall, digital checklists ensure both managers and employees take compliance seriously.

A Gallup Poll survey finds that inconsistent "management practices" drive up to 70% of disparities in employee engagement. Nothing influences staff to neglect task fulfillment more than a manager who fails to regularly measure employee performance against brand standards.

Fortunately, many QSRs are now deploying digital checklists, which can detect workflow disruptions related to specific tasks or employee roles. Checklists allow managers to resolve role confusion as quickly as possible, improving overall team camaraderie.

Opening/ closing digital checklist

While digital checklists promote transparency between staff and their managers, they also encourage accountability between employees. For example, QSRs that use opening and closing checklists help ensure individual employees finalize tasks assigned to them, rather than missing items that the next shift will need to resolve. First and last shifts rely on opening and closing checklists to spell out tasks for a successful day of business, and to prepare for tomorrow. At the end of the day, checklists encourage trust among employees while also increasing reliability. Ultimately, greater employee trust can increase business productivity by as much as 50 percent, according to a Forbes report.

Beyond the compliance and visibility benefits, digital checklists foster a teamwork culture that maximizes efficiency. Better food prep, refrigerator display stocking and cleanliness makes each shift change easier. This frees up restaurant employees to focus on maintaining brand standards in customer service, order fulfillment and general compliance.

Company culture

A brand's overall company culture should support the customer experience across every touchpoint. The best way to do this is to cultivate a strong internal culture that end-customers can benefit from. Whether it's a warm welcome when entering the store or a clean table for your meal, customers notice a strong team dynamic, and it could move the needle to encourage a return visit.

Strong cultures demonstrate the following:

Open-door management that welcomes employee suggestions on ways to improve operational efficiency. After all, frontline staff know where the biggest workflow disruptions can occur.
Environment of trust whereby employees feel secure addressing mistakes and adopting measures to grow in their roles.
Great employee retention because employees who are valued and supported are less likely to leave.

Stronger teams and happier customers

With a strong team building program in place, a brand has a solid foundation for excellent customer service. The same quality communications between managers and staff should be repeated between staff and customers. The environment of trust, reliability and problem solving that exists within your team can translate to the customer experience. With the right resources, your QSR team will be unstoppable.