A Few Tips For Effective Restaurant Employee Supervision

Whether you have one employee or dozens, effective restaurant employee supervision is both an art and a science. There are the usual laws and regulations for employer and employee interactions which must be understood and implement, but effective supervision is more than the letter of the law. Here are a few suggestions for obtaining the best results from your employees as an owner, manager or supervisor.

Every employee should know exactly what the responsibilities are for the specific position. This includes where the individual is in the organizational chart. The worker also needs to know what behaviors are expected, as well as which are prohibited. The written employee manual should be supplemented by on-the-job training. If you delegate the training to another employee, be sure that the verbal instructions match the written instructions.

It is important that employees are motivated to do a good job. This concept is not something that can be accomplished by a list of do's and don'ts. However, it does help if the employee is receiving wages in accordance with the law and benefits consistent with those of the surrounding region and industry standards. Other factors that may motivate workers include health, education and child care benefits.

Workers whose abilities are matched to the particular job are more likely to be happy and productive employees. At the same time, many people appreciate the opportunity to advance in responsibilities and benefits. For those who want to move up the career ladder, an achievable plan should be available to the worker. Education and training that may lead to promotion is something that boosts morale and thus facilitates positive supervision results.

Consistent penalties and discipline when required is very important. If one employee's breaches of rules is winked at, you can be sure that soon another employee will be doing the same thing. Because you don't want the situation to deteriorate into an atmosphere of "snitching" on one another, you must have monitoring and review tools in place so that you, as supervisor, can independently determine if there are problems with one or more employees.

Effective restaurant employee supervision begins with full knowledge by the workers of expected behavior. Training in the specific duties of the position must be implemented by someone who is knowledgeable in the written and on-the-job expectations for satisfactory performance. Supervisors who are cognizant of the morale of the work environment get better results. When penalties or poor performance must be addressed, consistent application is crucial.

An Overview Of Problem Solving Steps

Regardless of the size and experience of the owner or manager of a restaurant it is likely that there will eventually be problems arise in the operation of the facility. The type of action that should be taken when such problems occur will depend upon the nature of the issue. In each circumstance though, it is important to deal with the issues promptly. Hear are the steps to follow in problem solving.

Identify areas where problems are likely to arise. Typical problems are in training, money management, costs and customer service. In each of these general categories, ensure that you have general procedures set up that will meet the standard requirements that are a starting point for your expectations.

Decide how the expected standards will be measured. In each case you should formalize how you will know if the standards have been met. Usually there will be adjustments in the written standards. As the objectives are defined, if you have employees, input from them is recommended. You may get information from multiple individuals that you would not have considered otherwise. The standards do not have to be cast in stone, but if there are changes, there should be clearly stated and understood before implementation.

Provide training as required. You may need to bring in professionals to define the needed training steps. Once the standards have been identified, make sure that the training is designed to meet the objectives that will be measured. Each training component should be focused on a particular aspect of operations. For example, wait staff may need components that are not required for hostesses. At the same time, there as basic training components that apply to each and every person involved with the business.

Once the training has been completed in the expected procedures, it is time to stop planning and implement the policies and procedures. Talking about the new policies or revisions doesn't get them done. Usually, there is an orientation period, during which the performance is measured objectively and necessary adjustments are made to tweak the policies as required. Frequent performance feedback is appropriate during this period.

Problem solving will be different in various situations, however the basic steps are similar. They include identifying areas where problems have occurred or where they are likely to occur. A comprehensive policy manual should be prepared to address each of these areas and for the general operation of the business as well. Each person involved in the operation should understand his or her role, the expectations for performance, and how measuring will be done. Training followed by implementation is measurable. It is the measurement or reporting step that determines whether the problem solving has been successful.

Benefits Of Using A Restaurant Employee Search Agency

If you have any level of employee turnover in your restaurant, you may find that using a restaurant employee search agency will save you time and money. You are likely to get a more qualified level of applicants because the initial screening is done by the agency. An agency wants to keep your business so they will ensure that your stipulations are followed. Here are some other advantages to hiring through an agency.

You have access to a wider pool of applicants. While you may not advertise nationally for a high level position, an agency will often have a national presence. There may be potential applicants on the Web who would not otherwise have known about the position you have open. Many people will look online for a job rather than to wait for something in the local print media.

Some employment agencies also act as "headhunters". If you have a high level position, with very precise requirements, an agency can go into proactive mode. They may screen and approach a highly selective group of two or three applicants to determine whether there is interest in your open position.

Depending upon the type of agency you use, you may be able to arrange for a temporary filling of a position to determine whether or not this person will work out. If your contract with the agency permits, the employment firm may provide temporary labor for times when you don't want to hire a year-round employee, but need someone during a high season.

Your administrative duties are reduced, because you don't have to spend time staying abreast of all the nuances of labor and employee relations laws. The right employment agency will often provide training both for the people they refer and to the potential employers. For certain types of positions, restaurant owners can have all the payroll and staffing duties taken over by the agency. This means you have the right to ask the agency to replace an employee who is unsatisfactory and it can happen relatively quickly.

You may want to use a restaurant employee employment agency to fill positions, especially if you need to find a worker in a hurry. Reputable agencies have done some initial screening for their workers, so that will give you a smaller group of applicants to work with. You might also consider using an employment screening agency to define very specific qualifications for the position you have open.

An Overview Of Restaurant Market Research

While restaurant market research is often done before opening a high end dining facility, if you have a location or business that has been operating for many years, you might not realize that a benefit can be found by doing some research into your local market. This is a task that you can do yourself, but you might get more benefit from the results if you hire a qualified professional individual or firm to do the job. Here are factors that you should consider.

The demographics of the area your dining facility is serving is important. Demographics includes the gender, race, careers, education level, age and other similar factors of the people who will patronize your restaurant. An eating place that serves young families out for a dinner should be set up differently than a place that basically offers food for office workers in the area.

When doing the research, you should look for other dining establishments in the area. You can determine what is working well and also what is missing in the choices that diners have. Before deciding on a seafood restaurant in the desert, just because there isn't one available locally, your research should indicate that this is a food which will be accepted and acclaimed by the locals.

You will need to determine what foods are available on a regular basis from suppliers. In most instances, fresh food is preferred over frozen food. This is true regardless of the theme of the menu and setting. There are some areas where the fresh food choices are less available. Still, people often eat out in order to have choices that they can't get at home or at another facility.

Your research should review the overall economy of an area. When you are considering opening a restaurant where people can forget about economic woes for a while, you will need to know what the market will bear in terms of cost. People choose to go to a particular eating establishment for many reasons. Defining and addressing those reasons in a proactive way will help assure the success of your restaurant.

Whether you are starting a new restaurant or enhancing the effectiveness of an existing facility, understanding your customer pool is crucial. Getting the facts about demographics, preferences, availability of produce, and what types of establishments are already in the area is helpful. You can learn much of the information by doing the research yourself, or by arranging for a professional to provide you with the necessary information.