The One Daily Note System That Transforms Restaurant Teams
How do we train effectively? How do we develop attention to detail in a crew member? How do we get an employee to really focus up and do what we expect out of them? When dealing with the younger generation in the QSR (Quick-Serve Restaurant) business, we often feel like it goes in one ear and out the other, so how do we get them to actually listen when they break down at the slightest form of criticism? I figured it out. It all has to do with consistent and gentle reminders.
Look, I know it’s frustrating for you, the manager, to only have applicants and employees who don’t have any interest in becoming better at their job.
After over a decade in the industry, I can tell you that it the applicants don’t get any better, so it’s your responsibility to develop an unmotivated and distracted employee into a motivated and attentive one. How do I do it?
Give one note to each employee each day. At the end of the day when the server is checking and clocking out, give them one point that they can improve on. Just a small reminder of one area where they can do better. You want it to be equanimous to all employees, both great and troublesome so that everyone expects one at the end of the day. No matter who you are, you can expect just a small bullet point as to what to work on for the next shift. This prevents a feeling of being targeted and nagged. No one feels singled out as a problem employee or feels like you’re always calling out them specifically, because everyone gets one.
The great employees don’t like criticism either. When they know they are a great employee and receive notes, they often feel like the expectation for them is set too high. They tend to think Why do I have to get this criticism when I’m pulling all the weight and the other people just sit around and not help? But if they understand that each and every employee is due a note at the end of the day, they won’t feel like it burden is unequal.
What I’m saying is – this is the method to ensure that standards and expectations are communicated appropriately without making anyone feel personally attacked. Egos are individual. People’s egos are attacked when they are criticized. This is why they lash out and get defensive, and to avoid that, we often shy away from giving too much criticism. To make up for this, we often try to have team meetings where we communicate a point to the whole team, even if the point is really only intended for one person. But in these instances, the individual often doesn’t feel like they are the one to blame at all, and the team meetings often go unproductive, a complete waste of time. In the method I am teaching you, each and every person gets an individual note that is crafted for them. Individual notes each and every day helps mitigate the feeling of anyone’s ego being attacked.
As you develop this habit in yourself and as a system in the store, the employees will begin to come to terms with the fact that every day they will receive a small bit of criticism. Don’t forget to wear non-slip shoes. Be sure to tuck your shirt in before clocking-in. Let’s start cleaning under the ovens at night. When they come to know and expect that they are going to get a note, they don’t feel attacked. They may even come to expect and hope for the end of the night to see where they can improve. The best employees will treat it like a game, to hope for the mildest note possible. Like their performance is so great that you have to search far and wide to find anything they are doing wrong so you can find a note for them.
To achieve this feat, you will need to be very attentive to your employee’s performance. If you are in a good enough place to step back from being on line or serving or cooking, you can remove yourself a bit and pay closer attention to what your employees are doing. Don’t wait until the end of the night to consider what each employee’s strengths and weaknesses are. Don’t wait to look at their uniform until they are clocking out. Try to judge each employee’s performance throughout the night and gain an intimate feel of each employee’s abilities weak points. As you become so close to your employee’s work, you will be better equipped to critique it. This makes you a better manager.
As you know, some employees come in with the same issue every day. But because you already know what you are going to say each day, they will begin to expect it each day. As long as it doesn’t become a joke to them, they will eventually comply with your notes if just to shut you up and stop nagging them. They don’t like to be told the same thing every day, but you have the patience to tell them every day. Eventually it will be so deep in their head that they will actually start to comply with your rules. Just don’t let them take advantage of your lack of actual follow-through. If the problem becomes a true consistent bad habit, write ups are a must.
This is such a powerful tool that took so much stress off my mind as a manager. Since expectations and standards are being reminded so frequently and appropriate to who actually needs them, there actually becomes less of a need to have group meetings. Believe it or not, individual attention helps get each person on the same page better than group attention. Set up yourself for success by ensuring everyone is on the same page – give each employee one note at the end of each day.
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