Top 3 Benefits of Improved Training for Restaurant Staff
In this article: An overview of the top 3 most common benefits of improved training for restaurant staff members including managers, servers, bartenders and support staff.
If you’ve ever trained to work in a restaurant before, chances are you know that not every restaurant has a strong training program. In fact, many restaurants don't have a training program at all.
Sometimes it makes sense to have basically no training; there’s a rock-solid team in place who all want to work there forever, or it’s a family business and you’ve forced your children to work for you until they pass it down to their children.
In any other case (which is most cases) having organized, documented training processes is important for a restaurant. Especially today when turnover is higher than ever, restaurants’ can’t afford the unnecessary chaos and mistakes that come with a lack of training.
So why is training often a challenge? There are a number of reasons, including outdated training materials and systems that are ineffective. Most restaurants adopt a trainer/trainee model where the training is different for each new hire depending on who their trainer is. Inconsistency leads to confusion, mistrust, and frustration.
We work with restaurant teams all over the world to streamline and organize their training, and they’ve seen improvements in their success as a venue overall. We’ve broken down the top 3 benefits that are most commonly experienced when improved training is implemented.
Benefit #1: Increased Sales
The top benefit is the bottom line - increased sales!
Before improved training, servers and bartenders often didn’t have the information they needed to communicate effectively with guests. They’d spend precious time during a busy shift asking Chef about modification options, or trying to find that one manager who knew the latest policy on gift cards. Inefficient to say the least.
When training improves, knowledge increases. The more the team knows, the better they are at upselling, making pairing options or suggesting add-ons. When you know your stuff, you want to talk about it!
One client saw an increase in guest average from $92-$120 after implementing Yelli, citing that the team was more knowledgeable than before. The boost not only benefited the restaurant but the staff as well because their tips increased! More knowledge = more moo-lah.
Benefit #2: Consistently elevated guest experience
The second benefit that comes with improved training is a consistently elevated guest experience.
Every restaurants’ goal is to make sure every guest that walks through the door has the perfect experience. Great restaurants are good at doing this nearly every time, and they became great by building that reputation of having consistent service.
The only way that your team will be able to deliver that perfect experience every time is if they have the training to be able to do so. Thorough training that outlines each step of service, SOP’s, and how to deal with particular situations will give your team the confidence on the floor that they need to meet your expectations.
Confidence from within your team will be noticed by your guests, and they’ll want to come back for more of that great experience, atmosphere, and energy.
Benefit #3: Boost in team morale
The #3 most common benefit to improving staff training is an overall boost in team morale. Not surprisingly if you ask us!
How many times have you hired a new team member, only for them to not make it all the way through their training before telling you it isn’t a fit, or maybe just not showing up at all? Now that might happen even to the best of us, but if it’s happening often enough, chances are that your training program has some red flags in it.
When team members go through training that sets them up for success, they feel supported. When their training is streamlined and thorough, they feel confident that they’ve joined a company with leadership that knows what they’re doing! They’re happy to be part of a winning team.
Improved training leads to a decrease in turnover, and a positive work environment.
Conclusion
Training is important to every restaurant! Successful training allows your team the confidence to increase check averages, elevate the guest experience, and create a more positive work environment.
If your venue already has a great training program, keep it up! If you feel like your training program is lacking or could be better, check out Yelli as a starting point for implementing improved staff training quickly.
Want to chat? Schedule a meeting with us so we can learn more about your training needs and share custom solutions.
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