Whether you’re new to restaurant leadership or a seasoned veteran, you’ve encountered training materials and resources. I’ve spent most of my career in various corporate or multi-unit setups, so I have been exposed to many formats and philosophies of these materials. I’m also intimately familiar with how inconsistent an organization can get when they treat these materials as optional.
Resources make your team more knowledgeable and feel more supported, and ultimately that is what builds confidence. Confident employees perform better and they are more apt to continue working for you which saves you time and headache in training (plus the cost!) and as a bonus, you’re probably keeping the people you like working with.
I’ve also found that most employees appreciate having materials that are updated and accessible especially when they’re busy. We have found it is best practice to laminate materials such as recipe cards, station standards posters, food safety infographics… basically anything you want them to easily reference when they’re too busy to use their hands and leaf through a binder. Items such as checklists, temp/waste logs, and safety audits are ideally kept in binders or clipboards and done on paper. Why? Two reasons: first, you can track these items to keep your team accountable and refer back when you need to evaluate for improvement or regression. Second, while I understand that tracking checklists and logging items digitally has value for some organizations, there is an inimitable quality to paper checklists.
Think about times when your direct supervisor has come in to your area and grabbed a checklist to see if it was complete. How did you and your team react? Now think of a time when the same supervisor came in typing on their phone. Did you have the same reaction? Knowing for sure that someone is verifying your work on a checklist that is always in the same spot and carries an expectation of being completed cannot be matched by someone doing the same on a phone. The supervisor could be doing anything on that phone, it just doesn’t carry the same weight. Some will argue the case for a tablet that has a specific home and only serves the purpose of checklists and operational functionality, and if you can afford that it’s not a bad compromise. I still maintain that some items hold their value best in operations when they’re completed with pen and paper, and it’s the easy, most affordable option as well.
Download a Free Checklist of Resource Items for Restaurants Here
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