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How to Get New Hires Up to Speed Quickly

For many operators, the "new normal" has hampered the employee development process.It is bad enough that restaurant job applicants are increasingly scarce, but it has become challenging to properly onboard and train the ones you hire.

Given the current labor shortage, you might just be happy if you can source and recruit qualified staff. In your haste to fill positions, however, don't shortchange your business — or your crew – by glossing over the onboarding and training process.

"Gone are the days of drawn-out in-person interviews, classroom-style training, shadowing other employees, and 80-plus hours of time and money spent onboarding new employees," says Chuck Schuler, project manager for global foodservice consultancy Cini-Little International, Inc. in Germantown, Maryland. "Today's standards, not only because of the pandemic, are evolving." That said, says Schuler, without effective onboarding and training you are setting up your restaurant for turnover and your new hires for frustration and mistakes.

Regardless how much experience your new hires possess, they require orientation to your culture, menu, and systems. Even the most qualified chef can be lost in a new kitchen for days.

Bottom line: In spite of the current labor crisis, the smart money are doing all they can to avoid shortchanging onboarding and training. Take Michael Napolitano, who along with his brother Vincent, Jr., is the owner of Nunzi's, a classic Italian restaurant.in Farmingdale, New York. He says his back-of-the-house staff usually spends up to two weeks shadowing and cross-training in the kitchen.

Bear in mind, among the advantages enjoyed by Napolitano is low turnover in key positions. Napolitano hires well and keeps them happy. Turnover is expensive for a number of reasons, including losing experienced staff who can help new hires get up to speed quickly.

Nunzi's management "luckily all have previous kitchen experience," Napolitano explains. His executive chef, Marc Wisehart, has been a chef for more than 20 years "and has shown everyone the entire back-of-house operation, so that any positions can be covered if need be."

Rewarding your superstars sufficiently to keep them on staff can pay off handsomely in the onboarding and training process. "Almost everyone [in the kitchen] has multiple years of experience," he points out, "so the training process has been very easy. We train each employee on each station individually so that if we are ever short-staffed, each member of the kitchen can fill any spot."

Nunzi's newly hired front-of-the-house employees shadow veteran staff members for at least three or four shifts before breaking off on their own. Management goes through the entire process of greeting and serving customers for servers, and spends time off-shifts educating staff on menu dishes and specials every week. "Our bartenders spend more time training, as it's a bit more complicated of a process," Napolitano explains. "Usually, it will take three to four weeks for a bartender to get fully up to speed if they don't have any previous experience."

For the Napolitano brothers, initial training requires both classroom instruction and hands-on practice. "Though we like to put people into situations where they can learn as they go, a lot of things need to be sat down and understood. There are a lot of measurements and terms that go into both cooking and making drinks, so we spend time with everyone to make sure they learn everything they can. We sit down with staff and teach them on individual dishes and ingredients so that they are educated and can relay this information to customers."

Yet in spite of the experience and skill of your current employees, no owner or general manager should leave onboarding and training entirely in their hands. Simply doing is not always the same thing as learning. Craig Pendleton, owner and president of National Foodservice Consulting, Inc. in Surprise, Arizona, cautions operators about how they handle on-the-job training. "Never succumb to the temptation to just pair an employee with the 'strongest' staff member to follow them and 'learn the job.' Better to work short than to throw a new staff member into the fire."

You have tools at your disposal, including online training courses you can hand-pick for your new hires as needed. (See "Training Resources for Owners, Managers & Staff: The RestaurantOwner Learning System below")

Communicate Culture

An often-under-valued aspect of initial training is effective communication of the organization's culture. Kelly Nordstrom, director of training for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, says her company "takes immense pride in our culture. With training, we have in-depth schedules that we follow for every position within the restaurant." The schedules are individualized based on job title.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants operates a wide variety of dining concepts, including Prime Social, El Segundo Mexican Kitchen, Budd Dairy Company, Mitchell's Ocean Club, and Molly Woo's Asian Bistro. Ocean Prime is set to debut on February 6th in Kansas City Missouri, Valentino's Ristorante, Bar, Pizzeria is scheduled to open this fall, and The Pearl Restaurant, Tavern, Oyster Room later in the year.

From the first day at orientation, Nordstrom explains, management works with the associates to put together a training schedule that fits within their availability. "Every associate follows the same schedule, whether they have been in the industry for 10 years or one day." Managers go through an eight-week training period on the job.

All training at Cameron Mitchell properties is conducted on the job, with the careful guidance of a manager, including Nordstrom. She notes, "We understand hands-on learning and want to be there to support our new associates with questions. I find that people learn best from a hands-on practical approach to learning."

It is not unusual for Nordstrom's training staff to work overtime with an associate who needs more practice, especially if this is his first job. "We want them to succeed as an associate and a raving fan." Sometimes, it is a matter of adjusting their job duty or tasks. "If an associate is struggling, it is our job to understand why. Seek first to understand, and have open and honest communication."

Just Right

Like Goldilocks, staff training needs to be "just right". You don't want to undertrain, but you don't want to spend more time than necessary at first. The key is to get the staff member ready to be successful at their job and provide additional training in steps to fine-tune their performance and skills.

"At a minimum, all employees need an orientation, menu training, and position training," says Sharon McPherson, an independent training and performance improvement consultant. "The amount of training depends on the role, the complexity of the menu, the equipment, and technology new team members will learn to operate, and signature service qualities, as well as the availability of qualified co-workers to show them the way."

As for managers, in addition to the foundational skills and knowledge team members are expected to learn, they must fully grasp systems and controls to manage ordering, receiving, inventory and cost controls. They don't need to be able to function as expertly in the hourly roles as the hourly team members, McPherson points out. "However, they do need to know the essential functions – how equipment operates, how recipes are prepared, finished plate presentations, the flow of work and performance standards – so they can direct the team to best execute the menu and fill in during peak production periods." And, face it, there are times a head chef has to jump onto the line or a general manager has to run food.

Position training includes all of the skills and knowledge required to operate the restaurant and do the job of delivering on the brand promise. It includes learning opening, closing and side duties, POS, kitchen communication, whether manually through tickets and abbreviations or through technology. Also, the service cycle, standards of service and accounting for sales.

Included too is how the various jobs fit together, and how the team works together.

For each position, training will consist of orientation or onboarding, which should include leadership setting expectations – the mission, vision and values of the leadership, and an introduction to the way team members are expected to work together – which are the essence of the culture. Job descriptions, code of conduct, scheduling, pay and benefits, policies and procedures, uniform standards, and general safety and sanitation standards are all appropriate topics.

Welcome to Your New Job

The introduction to the workplace should also include a tour of the restaurant, an explanation of all the team member roles, and an introduction to co-workers. Onboarding answers the questions: What do I give – and what do I get – for being a member of this team?

All new team members should get an introduction to the entire menu that explains what each of the offerings is and what the restaurant is known for. Menu training also varies by position, says McPherson. "BOH (back of the house) team members need to know about food safety, basic ingredients, the recipes, the cooking methods, who prepares what, and the finished plate presentations. While prep cooks follow recipes, sous chefs or line cooks need to know recipes and cooking steps to recall."

And make no mistake, the restaurant business starts and ends with the menu. Says McPherson, "Staff needs to know the menu categories and the items offered: ingredients, cooking methods, accompaniments, possible modifications, and potential allergens. They also need to know popular items, be able to make suggestions when a guest doesn't know what they want; pair or upsell food and beverages to enhance a meal experience; and right sell by asking the right questions and communicating answers to the kitchen accurately."

Even with an eagle-eyed expeditor, problems can slip through the proverbial cracks and find their way to the very literal guest table. Servers and bartenders must know enough to serve as the quality control, the last people to check menu items for quality and accuracy before they reach the guests. They ensure guests get what they want, how they want it, and when they want it.

"While all FOH team members are salespeople, bartenders are also production professionals, so they need much of the same kind of production training that is provided to BOH team members," McPherson insists. "Therefore, many full-service operators usually promote servers to bartending positions."

The best training programs often feature a blended approach to address all learning styles: classroom, online learning, and on-the-job training. Onboarding is best delivered one-on-one or in a classroom setting, with a restaurant tour led by management, McPherson suggests.

For front-of-the-house team members, she says, the menu can be taught in a classroom setting or individually through online training. However, the best way to learn is to augment knowledge training by providing the opportunity to see it "and better yet taste it – at least those items that are most popular." Back-of-the-house employees learn the menu by preparing it, which of course involves on-the-job training, with access to recipes and quick reference tools.

Position training in both the front and back of the house requires coaching, repetition, and reinforcement. This means working side-by-side with co-workers with job expertise to transform knowledge into practice, McPherson says. Trainers qualified to help new team members learn they need excellent communication skills, an ability to break the job down into manageable parts, patience, and a desire to teach.

Scheduling Training

A critical aspect of initial training relates to the climate in which new team members are expected to learn. Business volume fluctuates, so scheduling training when learn- ing can take place is key.

"If the training shifts are too busy, training will also take a back seat to delivering a great guest experience, as it should," McPherson finds. "Learning on the fly, or worse through trial and error on the guest, is not a good strategy." Conversely, if the training shifts are too slow, new employees will not have enough opportunity to apply skills and knowledge in a supported, controlled way. When this occurs, the new team members may well be overwhelmed when met with a challenging shift.

The time and cost of training is a balancing act no matter the type of operation. Operators need employees functional and contributing as efficiently as possible, and employees need the opportunity to become competent and confident in their roles and earn an income as quickly as is reasonably possible. "The global brands I've worked with have standard training schedules by position that serve as a framework," McPherson explains. "Programs flex depending on new hire experience, the scheduling limitations of the new hire, the availability of qualified trainers, and ultimately whether the person needs additional time."

Beyond onboarding, which is the first shift for all employees, a server would train for four or five shifts and test out by waiting on a member of management to validate their basic skills. A bartender hired from outside might take as long as two weeks, while a dishwasher could take as little as two days.

The back-of-house is "much looser, depending on the complexity of the menu and kitchen," says McPherson. "A starting point might be four to five shifts." How- ever, it may take as long as two weeks for a line cook to memorize recipes and begin to work at the speed required. "People learn at their own pace. A good training program has the elasticity to tolerate the needs of the learner."

No Heart, No Talent

"Training is all about repetition and timing – everyone learns it differently," says Amer Hawatmeh, who owns Copia Restaurant & Wine Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. Just as important as emphasizing the basics, he has learned from having trained hundreds of restaurant staffers the importance of cultivating a service-oriented attitude. "Attitude is the most important attribute," he says, adding "No heart, no talent."

CHRIS TRIPOLI'S FOUR 'BE'S

When it comes to getting new hires up to speed, veteran consultant, Chris Tripoli recommends the following:

• Be prepared. "Have a training schedule and written materials for every position ready when the trainee begins."
• Be complete. "Preview and review with trainee every shift."
• Be current. "The best training programs aren't based on a written manual to read and a test to take. Today's BOH and FOH training programs are a mix of video, photos, written materials, and discussion. Engaging with the trainee, having them taste food, talk and present to trainer helps increase their retention."
• Be flexible. Training schedules should be written in steps rather than shifts or days. "This allows the trainee to move along at their required pace. Some steps may take a little more time for some than others. A rough schedule objective/goal for each position can be expected."

Learn more from Tripoli's decades as an internationally recognized restaurant consultant on his and Restaurant Startup & Growth editor's podcast the Corner Booth.

Training Resources for Owners, Managers & Staff:
The RestaurantOwner Learning System

What if there were a way to immediately boost the business, systems and culture skills of you and your management team? In a 2018 RestaurantOwner.com survey of 800 owners and managers, 87% of managers wished they had received more training.

Owners and managers agreed that managers most needed to improve in the areas of training and developing staff, holding people accountable, and motivating and encouraging employees. Owners felt managers needed to improve their basic leadership skills and become better at controlling food and labor cost.

Managers felt they needed to become more adept at improving customer service, the guest experience and team building.

Effective training will not only improve performance in each of these areas, it can dramatically raise the morale of your managers and staff. It's for this reason we created The Restaurant Owner Learning System. We believe our high-definition, video-based learning system can become an enduring platform for you and your entire management team to continually gain new insights, learn new skills and grow personally and professionally.

What You Will Learn:

• Why manager training is lacking and what to do about it
• How to identify areas of weakness and create a plan to strengthen them
• A quick and easy way to jumpstart your manager's training and track their progress
• Insight into our growing array of skill-specific, restaurant training courses

Please tune in to these recorded special 1-hour webinars on how to improve your management team's development path using the RestaurantOwner Learning System.

Break it down. Breaking down any part of a restaurant's operation, including initial training, into component parts helps bring things into sharper focus. Veteran foodservice consultant Chris Tripoli believes that newly hired management staff should begin in the back of the house with a schedule that provides time for working each position. "The manager trainee should spend time at the beginning and end of each shift with the kitchen manager observing the development of the daily prep list, product ordering, receiving and staff scheduling."

The objective of this training isn't to prepare the new manager to be the best at every kitchen position, Tripoli stresses, but to be "familiar enough to know and be able to assist. This type of training allows time for bonding with the BOH staff. Most initial BOH manager training takes seven to 10 shifts; maybe fewer for more limited menu concepts."

Know the stations. For kitchen positions "initial training should include what station the new hire will be working and what the responsibilities of working that station will entail," says Jason Fridrich, associate lecturer in Foodservice and Lodging Management for Rosen College of Hospitality Management at University of Central Florida in Orlando. "Also, explain what menu items the station produces and where everything needed to supply the station is stored." The point is to be clear where the cook fits into the larger process. It will aid in communication and teamwork.

On that note, how to communicate in the kitchen, and with whom, needs to be included in initial training, as does a discussion of the organizational culture. "Do not continue employment of a server that does not interact properly with the guests," Fridrich advises.

Other areas on which to focus include how the station should be set up and a review of sanitation standards and procedures. "This will be on-the-job training, one or two shifts trailing and then a solo shift on a slower night," Fridrich adds. If the new hire has prior experience, the training should include which systems are being used, the POS system, and how the tables are rotated. A detailed description of the stations and how they are divided is important. "What are the table numbers? How are orders placed on the POS system?"

Don't overlook sales techniques. Depending on the restaurant's concept, upselling methods should be part of the initial server training. "This will also be on-the-job training," Fridrich points out. "I have been involved in classroom training for both front and back-of-house positions, and have found it to be counterproductive." Sloppy upselling is offensive to guests. Simply telling the server to take every opportunity to jack up the ticket is a way to lose customers. It is an art form and requires training and finesse. In general, front-of-house training should consist of two or three shifts of trailing and one or two working solo during slower time, Fridrich adds. "If the server does not show competency after two weeks of training the hire may have to be re-evaluated."

New job, new culture. "Assuming the new hire has experience, the most important part of the training will be having the new manager embrace the organizational culture," Fridrich believes. Experienced managers coming from other organizations "will bring a culture with them. It is essential that they let go of the previous culture, which may conflict with yours. If that is the case, it will be easy to identify if the new culture is being embraced."

Never-ending process. How long should the initial training period last? According to Nunzi's Napolitano, indefinitely. "Training never ends, as we are educating ourselves and our staff every day trying to find new things and learn new ways to produce a top-quality product and experience." If a new hire needs more time, he adds, "That is totally fine, and we like to hear that. We don't want to put anyone into real-time situations they aren't 100% comfortable being in."

How much time to give a new hire to learn the job is always tough to pin down. "I usually allow several shifts for a new employee to learn the job," says Fridrich. "I have always avoided rushing training. This creates more problems than it solves. If after two weeks of training the new hire does not show competency in the position, the hire, once again, will have to be re-evaluated."

Mistakes to Avoid. There are "tons of things to avoid and tons of things to do, but you have to fail and make mistakes in order to learn," says Napolitano. We've made many mistakes and continue to do so, but that's how we learn, evolve and grow as a business and as a team."