Employee Retention for Restaurants
What makes a server stay at a restaurant instead of looking for work elsewhere? We interviewed a server, Kenzie, at a popular downtown restaurant to find out!
Here’s what she said about why she’s staying at her current place of employment:
“The company and the bosses are super nice. They’re willing to talk to me like I’m their equal instead of talking down to me.”
“My coworkers and the people training me were very helpful in my learning process and were extremely patient with me. They really took the time to help me succeed.”
“Well, I would hate to work at a restaurant that was super disorganized and didn’t have any procedures in place. I would also not like to work at a restaurant where I did not have positive relationships with my boss or coworkers.”
Did you notice a theme in Kenzie’s answers? We definitely did: great servers stay at restaurants where they can work with great people, including restaurant owners, managers, and fellow staff members.
Server Turnover is Costly for Restaurant Owners
For many restaurant owners, staffing is a big challenge. Toast reports that average turnover rates are near 80%. This, paired with the high cost of hiring and training new employees, makes employee retention critical — not just for day-to-day customer service, but also for your bottom-line financial performance.
So what can you do to make your employees want to stay at your company? Here are five ways to retain service employees at your local or franchise restaurant.
#1. Set the tone with good training and onboarding.
You can help reduce staff turnover by offering high-quality onboarding and training programs to newly hired employees. When staff are welcomed to the team in an intentional, thought-out way, they are more likely to buy into the company culture. They’re also better prepared to perform well in their role, leading to a better daily experience for both employees and customers.
#2. Stand out from the crowd with employee benefits.
Service jobs that come with benefits can attract high-quality candidates who are looking to commit to a stable, long-term gig. Benefits you could offer include flexible work hours, dental/vision coverage, vacation time, employee discounts, work-from-home options, and generous parental leave. Not all companies can offer the same benefits as others, so be sure to choose benefits that fit your financial situation.
Psst. Need help getting your finances in order so that you can figure out what benefits to offer? Consider partnering with a bookkeeper who specializes in working with restaurants. They can help you get organized and clear on how much of your budget can be put toward employee benefits!
#3. Create connections with your wait staff.
Take time to develop relationships with your employees and offer social outings or team bonding events for your employees to get to know each other. As we mentioned earlier, employees are more likely to stay at a job if they like their boss and coworkers!
#4. Give your employees room to express themselves.
Create a culture where employees feel free to speak up without fear of retribution. Employees often have great ideas for improving the work environment or customer experience.
#5. Make sure your staff feels recognized and appreciated.
Regularly show top-performing employees that you appreciate their efforts. There are many ways to do this, including through a recognition program, service anniversary celebrations, bonuses, or simple positive reinforcement, like a note saying, “Good job on x!”