By, Wendy Gillett of Caliluna Consulting
Originally published at restaurantowner.com

Since the dawn of the Industrial Age, employers have sought to replace people with equipment. Machines don’t complain, ask for raises, or get sick. In repetitive or strenuous tasks, they don’t get bored or become tired. They very often can complete tasks more quickly and efficiently. While this has made certain jobs extinct, new jobs have emerged, many of them less mind-numbing or dangerous.

Unfortunately, in some service businesses, managers tend to view the world like an assembly-line supervisor, undervaluing jobs perceived as menial. In fact, in the restaurant business, few positions can be replaced by machines or equipment. By definition, hospitality requires the human touch in almost every task.

That doesn’t stop restaurants from creating their own employment “caste” systems. Servers, managers and bartenders are the “major” employees, while janitors, busboys, bar backs and occasionally even cooks and chefs are often considered the “minor” employees. In a high-service environment such as the restaurant, this attitude can be fatal to your business. You see, your guests see it differently; they surely rank dirty dishes and an unstocked bathroom as major concerns.

In a relatively small organization, such as a restaurant, one employee feeling undervalued can have a ripple effect. The workers who do these jobs generally get the least amount of money, and by far the least amount of respect. The ripples widen, and generate lack of pride in appearance or manners, which becomes apparent to your guests, as it reverberates throughout the staff.

Finding a way to let your staff know that everyone makes a difference becomes one of your biggest management challenges. By reminding all employees that they have a major effect on the welfare of your restaurant, and treating them as such, you will meet that challenge and realize benefits for your business.

Ripples can be negative and positive. Most consumers probably would not notice if the janitor or the bar back ignored them, but they would notice if the same employees greeted them with a friendly hello and a smile. The “good” news is that most patrons do not expect employees who are not highly paid or on the front line of service to be more than pleasant, at best. Certainly, they do not expect them to go out of their way to be helpful or make patrons feel welcome. It’s “not their job.” If the customer’s expectations are low in the first place, it’s hard to disappoint them.

On the other hand, operations in which every employee demonstrates exceptional customer service and a positive attitude — regardless of his position — can gain a significant competitive edge. Given the competition among restaurateurs in most markets, consumers are always looking for any reason to give the edge to one business or another. It simplifies their choices when contemplating where to dine.

Change Viewpoints

Now is the time to change the way you think about the “minor” players and give new life to the jobs that have been swept under the carpet and ignored for so long. Doing this will take a commitment to teach every employee that no matter how small a role they play they are crucial to the success of your show. In addition, it will take a mind-set from the entire staff that, even though an employee has limited interaction with the guests, they can make a difference.

When trying to help people realize the importance of their work, remember a few things:

Out of sight does not mean out of mind. First, most employees think that because they are out of sight and have no direct contact with the customers that they have no effect on the customer experience. Keith Bailey, co-author of “Customer Service for Dummies” relates a story of when he was a waiter and customers asked for substitutions to the menu. “This was never a problem,” says Bailey, “unless the chef was in a bad mood.” The last thing a server in that situation would want to do is ask for something that could inflame the kitchen staff even more. “In not wanting to deal with the chef, the waiter was hesitant to please the customer,” Bailey says. It is important to keep in mind that everyone on your staff has to take their job seriously and recognize their effect on your customers. “If an employee who is not in contact with the customer is abrasive to an employee who is,” Bailey says, “it reaches out to the customer eventually.”

The golden rule of restaurant management might be, ‘Do unto your staff as you would have them do unto your guests.’ If you treat your staff the way you would like them to treat your guests, you will never be disappointed. But it is not enough to believe that all of your employees are important; you also have to show it in your actions. For example, include all employees in staff meetings and team-building games. It’s a great way to create a group that is unified in their commitment to a great restaurant. However, by rewarding only front-of-the-house employees who bring in the highest dollar amount by letting the servers and bartenders compete for prizes, you send the message that only the staff members visible to the guest matter to management. Instead, create a game that lets your staff act as a team by matching up the “major” and “minor” players. You can still compete for the highest sales, but by including everyone in the restaurant you will generate a feeling of ownership that the minor players may have not felt before.

Teaching your employees to take pride in their job no matter what they do for you will show that you value them and they will in turn pass that along to the customer. Your customer will notice the difference when your entire staff begins to feel that their performance affects the end product. Recently, I went through the drive-through at a quick-service restaurant for lunch. As usual, I was not expecting anything special. As I left I said “have a nice day” to the man inside the window. His reply: “That has already happened because of you.” As I drove away I was speechless. I had never heard anyone say that in a restaurant, let alone a takeout window during a busy lunch hour. It really reminded me that there truly are no small parts, only small actors.

If you assume that all of your bussers are going to stay with the business for six months and leave, then you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sure, some folks in this business are chronic job hoppers, just doing the work until something more interesting comes along, or until they get their diplomas.

But many restaurant workers have no goals or agendas other than to get ahead, put food on their own table, and advance any way they can. Look at the world through their prism; if you don’t have a system to provide incentive to stay and grow with your business, then they would be foolish to hang out for very long. Employee turnover, which is the bane of this business, is expensive and disruptive, at every level. Consider the following ways to build your staff’s pride in working for you, and perhaps keep them around for a while.

Involvement. Encourage all of your staff to attend and contribute to lineup, and approach you with ideas on how to improve service and operations. Everyone who works in your restaurant has a unique and valuable perspective on how to make your business work better. By tapping into this perspective, you have an opportunity to build morale while collecting important information.

Cross-training. The worst part of menial jobs is that they can be boring. Why not train an enthusiastic dishwasher to handle some kitchen prep work? Why not give a charming prep cook an opportunity to work at the hostess desk? The benefit to you is that you can place people where you need them when you’re short-staffed.

Communication. The biggest morale killer in any organization is for a staff member to feel left out of important general information concerning the business. Systematize your staff communications, including regular staff meetings and even simple employee newsletters, so that no one is left out of the loop on all but sensitive or confidential information.

Opportunity. Hire from within whenever possible. Show your staff that a bright and motivated busser can become a server in your restaurant. Employer loyalty builds employee longevity.

Praise. Even a small compliment coming from the owner can make a person’s day. It’s nice to know that the boss is aware of your hard work and dedication. Look for opportunities to praise staff at every level of the organization.

Meet Wendy Gillett, Senior Caliluna Consultant here, in this SBTV interview!