Why you should appreciate the value of your restaurant staff

Whilst engaged in the many responsibilities of running a commercial kitchen, it can be easy to overlook the value that your employees bring to your business. As well as preparing delicious meals for your customers, you should take a moment to appreciate the role that your staff play in creating a memorable experience that entices them back time and again. If you agree that your team are, indeed, a vital aspect of your restaurant, you’ll no doubt want to know how you can retain their services. After all, it can be difficult to find dedicated and talented staff who are loyal. So to help you show your appreciation, here are a few tips you may want to consider.

1. Maintain a strong company culture

Making sure that your business has a strong company culture or mission statement is important. It helps your team better understand how they should interact with each other as well as to establish and share appropriate practices for communicating with restaurant-goers. This help instil the values that you want to retain or bring into your restaurant. Although you’re the owner, communicating with your team on an equal level is vital. Making sure no one talks down to anyone and that every role played is acknowledged each day will encourage each member of your team to work at their hardest, even at the most trying of times. It’s important to remember that a commercial kitchen is a highly stressful environment. Add heat from cooking into the mix and tempers are bound to occasionally flare. When this happens you need to ensure that there’s a support network in place, even if it’s just a shoulder to lean on. With an amiable company culture in place, the positive energy that this creates will shine through in your customer services.

2. Ensure staff working in different areas are connected

When running a commercial kitchen, it’s all too easy for a rift to open up between your front of house staff and back of house staff. Sometimes your back of house staff can feel like they’re being overworked and not seeing the benefits of their labour. If this persists, it can lead to a breakdown in company culture and cause feelings of resentment. But to overcome this, some restaurant owners employ an array of techniques to bring everyone together each day. From bringing in pizza and arranging company trips to sharing after work drinks, how you show your appreciation is up to you. Just make certain to express that you acknowledge the importance each team member plays and listen to their concerns whenever they’re raised.

3. Teach new skills and show them where they can improve

Staff almost always appreciate the opportunity to further develop their skills. If someone makes a mistake, try not to lose your temper. Instead, show how they can improve or pass on useful tips that can make their job easier. This will encourage them to stick with your restaurant knowing that they’re learning useful techniques to improve their knowledge and the quality of your service. As such, this becomes a win-win situation. Also, give your staff members the freedom to go out of their way to help your customers. Some restaurant owners encourage staff to give away free samples, such as ice cream, if they see a customer who is in distress or had a bad experience. As long as this doesn’t eat too much into your revenue, this human touch can become a feature of your business that makes you stand out from your competition, encouraging customers to come back to your restaurant.

4. Show appreciation and provide feedback

At the end of each day, don’t let your employees go home without showing your appreciation. This needs to become a habit to help maintain a high level of morale. Ask your customers to give their feedback, perhaps by asking them what they thought of their meal once they’re finished. You can then use this information to encourage your staff to continue putting in all their effort or informing them where they can improve. This also has the dual purpose of letting customers know that you value their business and are determined to deliver a high-quality service each time.

Need help maintaining a high-quality service in your restaurant?

Making sure that you see eye-to-eye with your restaurant staff is vital. In order to deliver a high-quality service that your customers have come to expect, you need to give your staff a reason to do so. However, if you’re running a small restaurant, you may lack the funds you need to fully equip and refurbish your business. This can lead to you pulling cash from your own accounts or lagging behind your competition. But by having the appropriate levels of financial support at your disposal, you can live up to your customers’ expectations in complete confidence. Thanks to the Alternative Finance industry, your restaurant now has access to a wide range of business finance solutions. All you need to do is source an appropriate finance solution for your business’ needs.

At Rangewell, we work with over 300 lenders to offer you an overview of more than 23,000 business finance products. Our services are free to use and we’ll also guide through the application process. We’re with you every step of the way. So if you’re looking to raise funds for your restaurant for any reason, apply for Business Finance today or find out more with Rangewell.