5 Reasons a training program will make your restaurant more profitable.
- Creates standards and standardization.
- Employees are more confident.
- Employees are more efficient.
- Training programs shorten the learning curve.
- Properly trained employees mean good service and repeat business.
Proper Training Creates Standards and Standardization
Successful restaurants have training programs and failing restaurants don’t. Take a look at some of the largest fast food chains. Who do they hire? Mostly inexperienced first time employees without a clue of what a real job is. So how do they take a raw lump of student and turn them into an efficient manufacturing/selling machine? Training. They have step-by-step instructions written out for each task. Then they have a mentor to hand hold the new employee until they are confident and proficient enough to do the task alone. The training adheres to strict standards that everyone is expected to follow, for good reason. You can go to any chain restaurant anywhere in the world and get the same product because of standardization and training. It is what makes all successful franchises successful.
Trained Employees Are More Confident
Any successful business will have a training program in place to guide a new hire. Not only will it set standards and goals but it teaches the new employee a sense of teamwork. When the new hire knows what is expected of him or her and exactly how to do their job they have confidence. A self-confident employee is more motivated and happier. Confidence translates into a satisfied employee which in turn results in a satisfied customer. As a manager or owner you have confidence in your staff, reducing your stress level.
Trained Employees Are More Efficient
A properly trained employee is more valuable to your organization because they are more efficient and less likely to cause costly mistakes. In the kitchen they know how to cook and prepare correct portions for a reducing waste and time. They get it right the first time instead of having to remake it over and causing a poor customer experience.
Properly Trained Employees Mean Good Service and Repeat Business
A training program also provides the new employee with a new set of skills and self-confidence he or she may not have had before. Morale in the kitchen and front of the house improves when everybody knows what to do and how to do it. They are confident that the rest of the team knows what to do and how to do it. Repeat business is the life blood of any restaurant. Everyone from the dishwasher on up must do their job properly in order for the guest to feel like they are treated with respect, efficiency and get what they paid for. Without proper training at every level there are a hundred little ways to drive away repeat business.
Just because you hire someone who has waited tables or flipped burgers for 20 years does not mean they don’t need to be trained. They have not worked for YOU for 20 years and your business has its own way of doing things. Training is essential for every operation and every employee no matter the experience level.
