Donald Burns identifies five reasons restaurants lose staff: low pay, no training, chaotic schedules, missing benefits, and weak culture. He walks through fixes for each, from offering flexible shifts to adding health insurance and building accountability.
Donald Burns (the Restaurant Coach).
Five reasons.
June 12, 2023.
Are there really no good people out there that want to work? Or is it just that they don't want to work with you and your restaurant? Today I'm going to tell you the cold, hard, sometimes brutal truth and the real reason why you can't find employees for your restaurant. Hey everyone, Donald Burns, the Restaurant Coach. And welcome back to another video. Today we're going to discuss something that's quite the challenge for many restaurant owners and that's finding great employees. In this video, I'm going to be giving you my top five reasons why restaurants have a hard time finding and keeping fantastic staff members. And of course I'll provide you with some coaching tips on how to overcome these obstacles. So let's dive right in. The first reason is a little obvious. The high turnover rate associated with the restaurant industry. It's a well known issue. It's a stigma. It is a common stereotype and it can be quite a challenge to find employees that are dedicated and and willing to stick around for the long haul. High turnover rates can be attributed to various factors including low wages, lack of benefits and the often stressful nature of the restaurant industry itself. Here's my Restaurant Coach Tip. To combat high turnover rates, consider offering competitive wages better than your competition, providing opportunities for growth within your organization and creating a positive work environment and culture that encourages employee retention, training and learning. Reason number two is a lack of skilled applicants. There's no secret that the restaurant industry is a demanding one and it's not right for everybody. And that's okay. Many applicants lack the necessary experience, skills and some even the right attitude and mindset to thrive in this fast paced environment called the restaurant world. Here's my Restaurant Coach tip. To attract more skilled applicants, invest in your employees by offering a comprehensive training and development program and really emphasize the importance of guest service and teamwork during the onboarding and training process. The third reason is an unpredictable work schedule. Late nights, weekends and you know, of course holidays being the peak times for most restaurants, employees often find themselves working very erratic hours. This can be a deterrent for many potential employees, especially those seeking stability and work life balance. Here's my Restaurant Coach tip considering offering flexible scheduling options like accommodating part time people and offering shift preferences to help attract and retain quality staff members. Some restaurants are getting very, very creative and offering three and four day work weeks. Reason number four Limited benefits. Many restaurants don't offer any kind of comprehensive benefit packages to their employees which which can make it very, very difficult to attract and keep high quality staff. Benefits like health insurance, retirement plans and PTO or paid time off can make a huge difference in employee satisfaction and retention. Restaurant Coach Tip Evaluate your current benefit offerings, considering adding or improving benefits to make your restaurant a lot more attractive potential employees. And finally, reason number five is underestimating the power of of company culture and really, really creating a positive work environment, one that can really lead to higher employee satisfaction and retention. Unfortunately, many restaurant owners don't prioritize building a strong restaurant culture of accountability, which leads to high turnover and difficulty attracting and keeping a players. Restaurant Coach Tip Invest time and effort and energy into developing a strong culture of accountability. This could include team building activities, rest, regular feedback sessions, or one on ones and opportunities for employees to bond and grow together. So there you have it, the top five reasons why restaurants have a hard time finding great employees. Now that you're armed with this kind of knowledge, you can take the necessary steps to attract and retain the best employees possible for your restaurant. Remember, a dedicated and talented team is critical to the success of your restaurant, so do not underestimate the importance of of investing in your team. If you found this video helpful, don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button or share it with someone you think needs to hear it. In the next video, I'm going to share with you my top tips to hire restaurant staff without losing your mind in the process.
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
