According to the National Restaurant Association, 9 of every 10 restaurant managers in the United States started out as entry-level employees. Furthermore, 8 of 10 restaurant owners started from the same humble beginnings. These individuals were hired at low wages, were trained in their roles, became engaged in their jobs, continued to learn more, moved their way up the industry ladder, and landed in managerial and/or ownership positions. This is a true “paying your dues” story, one that might not be possible if an employee doesn’t fully become invested in their subsequent employment.
However, some restaurants struggle with restaurant staff training and on-going development. They can only devote so many manager or co-worker hours to shoulder-to-shoulder training of new hires, and the instruction manuals they provide might be intimidating, difficult to understand, and ultimately ignored. Developing a restaurant training manual that employees—new hires and trusted veterans—will actually use might seem like a pipe dream, but it is possible. Here are some keys to achieving that goal:
Stop Printing Your Restaurant Training Manual
One problem with restaurant staff training manuals in today’s digital age is that a thick binder containing page after page of store processes is simply not appealing to the millennial generation that now comprises the majority of the American workforce. Granted, similar manuals from a couple decades ago weren’t appealing either, but workers accepted them as a fact of employment. Today’s employees would rather wing it (or simply find another job) than open a binder. Developing paperless restaurant training manuals that incorporate video will increase the odds workers will use and retain the information, whether at the start of their employment or as a veteran at the company.
Make Restaurant Training Mobile
Technically, a binder is portable, but is it truly accessible in all parts of the restaurant and is it efficient? Can you search or instantly refer to what you need? Digital content on back of house computers is better, but often is restricted to the manager’s office—and usually, employees aren’t allowed to be alone in that office with the safe. Luckily, tablet technology is creating a new level of mobility for restaurant training manuals. An iPad or Surface can be viewed anywhere in the store, including the places workers will be directly applying the skills they are learning.
Use Video To Train Restaurant Staff
Going paperless is the first hurdle, but restaurant training manuals that are just words upon words, with few illustrations or diagrams, will bore your employees, who may feel they are studying rather than learning important skills. Today’s mobile training technology that promotes mobility also offers the option of incorporating video. Workers can read about a process on the tablet, then flip to a video showing him or her how to perform that process. This combination creates a powerful learning impact, thus increasing the odds the employee will do the job being correctly, from the start.
Crowdsource Restaurant Training Content
Another reason employees don’t respond to restaurant training manuals is because they don’t quite believe the content within. The “official” instructions from corporate might direct food prep to cut tomatoes one way, but workers may have discovered another way that is more efficient and cuts down on waste. As a result, they don’t take other directives as seriously—even if the directive is important to operational success. Rather than insist upon rigidity, restaurants can encourage employees to write and record (via video) their own best practices. Mobile training technology enables this kind of collaboration, thus allowing employees to share “tribal knowledge” with other stores across town or across the country.
What do your employees think of your restaurant training manuals?
