Finding and keeping good staff is a challenge for every hospitality operator, large or small, city or country. And then you see one that seems to have all the staff they need, the welcome is genuine and the service first rate. They attract good staff and they stay – it’s obviously a great place to work and an ’employer of choice’ in the area.
What makes the difference?
A recent interview with Donna Carrier helps us understand how to become an employer of choice (EOC). For 18 years she’s been the owner of Bent On Food and Bent On Life – a café, catering, events, and retail store located in Wingham NSW. She has 21 employees, and is in the Foodie Coaches Elite Member program.
Bent On Food emphasises the importance of systems and procedures to create a structured work environment. They use digital apps and technology to streamline tasks, ensuring that employees know what is expected of them and have the tools to succeed.
Donna says: “Bent On Food is a high end café – community focused, local produce, special meals, events, and hamper range. Bent on Life is a retail store specialising in kitchenware and dining ware – DIY upcycled furniture, Annie Sloane chalk paint and workshops. We are community focused, with an emphasis on sustainability.”
How would you define an excellent employer? An excellent employer communicates to their team what their requirements are and gives them the skills to succeed. They set boundaries and make things clear upfront from the start.
What makes you an employer of choice? I make sure they know exactly what their roles are, with good training and correct onboarding. I provide a detailed sequence of service, including checklists and what to do in downtime. I have found the more procedures and checklists the better everything works. I also use digital apps such as Restoke and Mr Yum which streamlines their jobs. Often this is the first job for people who come in – we want them to go away with good skills and a good experience. We try to make sure that everyone enjoys their work, and that there is no bullying. Because we have a reputation of being an excellent employer, we can attract the best people.
What have you learned as an employer of choice? If an employee is not going to work out, sort it out quickly, for them and for your business. I’ve also learned that systems and procedures are my best friend. Employees really need to know what’s expected of them. Employees need to provide the tools for their employees to succeed. You have to be fair but you can’t be everyone’s friend. It’s a very social industry, but at the end of the day you need to be the boss.
Your advice on employing young people? I’ve employed a lot of young people, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m good at it now. Young people have their challenges. Getting them to buddy up with a senior person closer to their own age is beneficial. Young ones are the best to help with technology, but there is a corresponding loss of focus because of their immersion in technology. Lifestyle has become more important for more people – they want to have flexible work, they don’t want to work fulltime, they want to work 3-4 days. This goes for everyone, but especially young people. We used to boast about doing 60 hour weeks at work while studying and having a social life. People don’t want to do that anymore – they want to have fun and relax as well as work.
What is your advice to others in your industry that want to improve as an employer? Find some like-minded people in your industry that you can learn from, trust, and who have the right systems. Embrace your financials and numbers – know your margins, food costs, wages, sales. People underestimate the business skills it takes to run a hospitality business. People in this industry often say they can’t have staff meetings because they work irregular hours, but it’s so important – closing for one day for a team building exercise is worth it. Taking time out is important – sometimes being less available to your customers (closing for a couple of days a week instead of opening 7 days a week) can help them to appreciate you more! Train your staff properly, and create a sequence of service.
What key trends do you see impacting your business in the next 5-10 years? I’ve just started using chatGPT – I think it’s amazing and exciting. We need to be using data to provide more personalised experiences and relationships with customers. Sustainability is really important – climate change affects the way we eat, what we eat and our resources. New technology is happening all the time and we need to be utilising it. Technology is streamlining the process – for example online orders frees up the time of staff to have more personal interaction with the customers.
Common factors in a hospitality ‘employer of choice’?
From Donna’s insights and our discussions with other successful operators in the Foodie Coaches program, we’ve found these are the key factors that make a business the one that people most want to work for, ahead of others in the area.
Start with a strong onboarding process. Give new employees all the information they need to do their job effectively, as well as making them feel welcome and part of the team.
Employ people who need training: every age group has its challenges and different learning needs – attitude is an important factor in selection, not just skill. Older and younger, all are welcome.
Create a positive work environment. This means having a clear and fair set of expectations, providing regular feedback, and rewarding employees for their hard work.
The place is well organised. Good systems and procedures, plus modern labour-saving equipment. Young people especially appreciate the use of good technology to make the workplace more efficient and responsive.
Offer competitive pay and benefits. Not only a competitive salary, but also paid leave and benefits – the EOC often pays slightly more than others, but has much greater productivity from their staff.
Give opportunities for growth and development. This means offering training and development, as well as promoting from within when possible.There’s often a program of regular short training activities, and encouragement to take part in external courses.
Show appreciation to your employees. This can be done through things like regular thank-yous, public recognition, and team-building activities. Success is celebrated!
Be flexible with scheduling. Restaurant employees often have to work odd hours, so it’s important to be flexible with scheduling. This will help employees to balance their work and personal lives.
Provide a safe and comfortable working environment. This means clean and well-maintained facilities and lockers, safe travel to and from work, as well as taking steps to prevent workplace injuries.
Listen to your employees. Open and honest communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns and ideas. Systems like Slack or WhatsApp are often used for this, as well as for training.
Want the Action Sheet ? Click Here
Finding and keeping good staff is a challenge for every hospitality operator, large or small, city or country. And then you see one that seems to have all the staff they need, the welcome is genuine and the service first rate. They attract good staff and they stay – it’s obviously a great place to work and an ’employer of choice’ in the area.
What makes the difference?
A recent interview with Donna Carrier helps us understand how to become an employer of choice (EOC). For 18 years she’s been the owner of Bent On Food and Bent On Life – a café, catering, events, and retail store located in Wingham NSW. She has 21 employees, and is in the Foodie Coaches Elite Member program.
Bent On Food emphasises the importance of systems and procedures to create a structured work environment. They use digital apps and technology to streamline tasks, ensuring that employees know what is expected of them and have the tools to succeed.
Donna says: “Bent On Food is a high end café – community focused, local produce, special meals, events, and hamper range. Bent on Life is a retail store specialising in kitchenware and dining ware – DIY upcycled furniture, Annie Sloane chalk paint and workshops. We are community focused, with an emphasis on sustainability.”
How would you define an excellent employer? An excellent employer communicates to their team what their requirements are and gives them the skills to succeed. They set boundaries and make things clear upfront from the start.
What makes you an employer of choice? I make sure they know exactly what their roles are, with good training and correct onboarding. I provide a detailed sequence of service, including checklists and what to do in downtime. I have found the more procedures and checklists the better everything works. I also use digital apps such as Restoke and Mr Yum which streamlines their jobs.
Often this is the first job for people who come in – we want them to go away with good skills and a good experience. We try to make sure that everyone enjoys their work, and that there is no bullying. Because we have a reputation of being an excellent employer, we can attract the best people.
What have you learned as an employer of choice? If an employee is not going to work out, sort it out quickly, for them and for your business. I’ve also learned that systems and procedures are my best friend. Employees really need to know what’s expected of them. Employees need to provide the tools for their employees to succeed. You have to be fair but you can’t be everyone’s friend. It’s a very social industry, but at the end of the day you need to be the boss.
Your advice on employing young people? I’ve employed a lot of young people, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m good at it now. Young people have their challenges. Getting them to buddy up with a senior person closer to their own age is beneficial. Young ones are the best to help with technology, but there is a corresponding loss of focus because of their immersion in technology. Lifestyle has become more important for more people – they want to have flexible work, they don’t want to work fulltime, they want to work 3-4 days. This goes for everyone, but especially young people. We used to boast about doing 60 hour weeks at work while studying and having a social life. People don’t want to do that anymore – they want to have fun and relax as well as work.
What is your advice to others in your industry that want to improve as an employer? Find some like-minded people in your industry that you can learn from, trust, and who have the right systems. Embrace your financials and numbers – know your margins, food costs, wages, sales. People underestimate the business skills it takes to run a hospitality business. People in this industry often say they can’t have staff meetings because they work irregular hours, but it’s so important – closing for one day for a team building exercise is worth it. Taking time out is important – sometimes being less available to your customers (closing for a couple of days a week instead of opening 7 days a week) can help them to appreciate you more! Train your staff properly, and create a sequence of service.
What key trends do you see impacting your business in the next 5-10 years? I’ve just started using chatGPT – I think it’s amazing and exciting. We need to be using data to provide more personalised experiences and relationships with customers. Sustainability is really important – climate change affects the way we eat, what we eat and our resources. New technology is happening all the time and we need to be utilising it. Technology is streamlining the process – for example online orders frees up the time of staff to have more personal interaction with the customers.
Common factors in a hospitality ‘employer of choice’?
From Donna’s insights and our discussions with other successful operators in the Foodie Coaches program, we’ve found these are the key factors that make a business the one that people most want to work for, ahead of others in the area.
Start with a strong onboarding process. Give new employees all the information they need to do their job effectively, as well as making them feel welcome and part of the team.
Employ people who need training: every age group has its challenges and different learning needs – attitude is an important factor in selection, not just skill. Older and younger, all are welcome.
Create a positive work environment. This means having a clear and fair set of expectations, providing regular feedback, and rewarding employees for their hard work.
The place is well organised. Good systems and procedures, plus modern labour-saving equipment. Young people especially appreciate the use of good technology to make the workplace more efficient and responsive.
Offer competitive pay and benefits. Not only a competitive salary, but also paid leave and benefits – the EOC often pays slightly more than others, but has much greater productivity from their staff.
Give opportunities for growth and development. This means offering training and development, as well as promoting from within when possible.There’s often a program of regular short training activities, and encouragement to take part in external courses.
Show appreciation to your employees. This can be done through things like regular thank-yous, public recognition, and team-building activities. Success is celebrated!
Be flexible with scheduling. Restaurant employees often have to work odd hours, so it’s important to be flexible with scheduling. This will help employees to balance their work and personal lives.
Provide a safe and comfortable working environment. This means clean and well-maintained facilities and lockers, safe travel to and from work, as well as taking steps to prevent workplace injuries.
Listen to your employees. Open and honest communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns and ideas. Systems like Slack or WhatsApp are often used for this, as well as for training.
Check the other useful blog posts on the Foodie Coaches website…
Want to get some 1 on 1 help? Talk to one of our coaches