Create A Winning Restaurant Culture

"Pay attention to the needs of your employees." Jeff Pivin, Shamrock Foods Business Review Specialist, AZ

• Accentuate the positive

  “Tell potential hires ‘this is why it’s awesome to work here,’ not ‘this is what I expect you to do and be to work here,’” advises Jim Hargrove, Shamrock Foods Restaurant Consultant.

• Be direct

  “Offer positive and consistent feedback with clear expectations,” McVoy suggests..

• Lead

  Think Leadership versus management. "Leaders lead people," McVoy says, Managers manage things."

• Build teams

  “When employees feel they’re in it alone, they’re more likely to leave,” McVoy observes. “By cross-training and taking a teamwork approach, you’re likely to get more out of each member.”

• Train

  Offer exceptional on-boarding and continuing education. "Conduct strong training programs that dont rush the process," McVoy advises, noting that confidence in doing the job yields better performance and more satisfied employees.

• Mentor

  "Mentoring has to be understood and intentional," says Bo Bryant, Shamrock Foods Restaurant Consultant. "Leaders need to be taught how, whom and when to mentor. Address that and we can build stronger cultures, have better retention and more engagement."

• Foster connections

  "Everyone needs someone to look up to and learn from," McVoy says. "From lead cook to prep cook or assistant manager to the general manager, when one cares about the growth and development of the other, you’ll achieve a ‘stickiness’ that’s unlike anything else.” “If you want to show employees that you’re really all about ‘we’re in this together,’ get in the trenches,” adds Jeff Pivin, Shamrock Foods Business Review Specialist, AZ. “Use empathy to really connect with your employees. They can trust you mean what you say because you did what you said you’d do.” Noting that Gen Z workers value a sense of community more than teamwork, Hargrove advises, “Build a culture of transparency, communication and inclusiveness, and you’ll attract and keep more people.”

• Create a support system

  "Provide employee emergency funds and career-path programs,” suggests Ryan Elmore, Shamrock Foods Business Review Specialist, NM.

• Give Employees what they need and want

  “What’s in it for them?” poses Bryant. “It’s got to be more than a paycheck. What type of transferable skill will you give them? How can they grow? What kind of work-flex program do you offer? How are they treated, compensated, recognized, rewarded, etc.?"

• Provide recognition

  Implement employee-of- the-month programs, performance-based rewards and attendance-based rewards. “Individual consideration, recognition, treatment, etc., is going to be even more critical to the culture than how the whole team connects,” Bryant says.

• Be attuned

  “The key is listening,” says Pivin. “Pay attention to the needs of your employees. Get to know them on a personal basis so you can better understand their behaviors.”

• Accommodate

  “Offer flexible schedules and shift trades that allow workers to live lives outside of work,” McVoy suggests.

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