Happier employees are more productive employees. It's not just a truism—it's science. A team of researchers recently found that the happy participants in a study completed 10 to 12 percent more math problems correctly than those who were stressed and unhappy.
Owners and managers know the tried and true ways to encourage employee satisfaction: better pay, better benefits and opportunities for advancement. But it's not always possible to give every staff member a raise or a promotion. That's when they turn to creative ways to keep servers happy, such as:
Giving servers a voice
The merits and drawbacks of tip pooling have been debated over and over, with restaurants weighing the value of teamwork vs. competition. But big decisions like this one shouldn't be left to management. Mike West, food and beverage director at the Barking Frog restaurant in Woodinville, Wash., told FSR magazine that he allowed his team to make the call. “There are pros and cons to both sides,” West said. “We decided not to pool tips in our outlets to keep the incentive for each server to work for her own tips."
Letting them taste the food
Pro servers are foodies, too. And they grit their teeth every time a customer asks their opinion of a dish and they have to pretend they've tasted it. Allowing and encouraging servers to taste the menu increases morale, reduces theft and makes them better salespeople.
Food Service Warehouse suggests ways to manage a free employee meal program, including tracking meals in the POS system and providing a family-style dinner before the shift begins. While free employee meals can be a hassle to manage, the alternative is forcing crabby servers to subsist on dinner rolls snatched from the warming drawer.
Organizing industry-only events
While the hours are long and the paychecks modest, the restaurant business possesses one great charm: the sense of community. Foodservice pros are a tight-knit group who enjoy hanging out while the rest of the working world is in the office or in bed. Events that bring industry workers together promote camaraderie and boost morale — especially if it's for a good cause. On Monday nights, Poole's Diner chef Ashley Christensen invites restaurant workers as well as other food lovers to her Raleigh house for a potluck dinner. It's called Stir the Pot and benefits the Southern Foodways Alliance's documentary film initiative.
Rewarding consistent behavior
Servers are salespeople, and every sales team works better with incentives to motivate them. For that reason, many managers offer prizes for servers who meet daily and monthly sales goals. But the best incentive programs reward consistently excellent behaviors, according to QSR magazine. The Five Guys Burgers and Fries chain uses mystery shoppers to gauge performance, then gives top stores as much as $1,300 per week to divide among staff. The results, Five Guys reports, include an increase in the mystery-shopper-score average over time, in employee satisfaction and in company growth.
Offering intangible incentives
As longtime Kansas City server and author David Hayden points out, servers tend to be stubborn individualists. "When you tell servers what to sell, they will under perform," he contends — and contests don't work, because there can be only one victor.
Instead, Hayden suggests, focus on what does motivate servers. Managers can feed servers' desire to hone their craft by offering ongoing training in areas like mixology and wines. They can also ask top performers to share their best practices with the team, he says: "People want to be recognized. Feed that inherent desire and mastery will become a part of your restaurant’s culture."
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