The employees are the backbone of any service-based company. In a restaurant, the staff is responsible for everything, from food preparation to customer service, inventory management, and managerial oversight. As a result, the restaurant staff is under considerable pressure to deliver excellent service as customers enjoy their meals.
The proprietors of restaurants are entirely aware of this pressure. The restaurant owners often have to put in extra effort to ensure that the staff is motivated, happy, and satisfied in their jobs because team member satisfaction significantly contributes to happy customers. If you’re looking for ways of motivating and incentivizing your restaurant staff, then you’re in the right place.
Give Gift Baskets
Thanking your restaurant staff with gift baskets is a thoughtful gesture. Restaurants with collaborative and supportive workplace cultures have a long history of rewarding their staff with gift baskets.
They promote healthy relationships between the upper management and their teams by recognizing employees’ efforts.
A personalized, thoughtfully designed, and attractively presented gift basket will surely put a smile on the face of any team member. Suppose you want to show that you’ve considered your employees’ small preferences. In that case, one idea is to include a ribbon in the recipient’s favorite color or a personalized item featuring their favorite snack.
Reward Staff With Their Preferred Schedule Or Sections
An incentive for restaurant staff doesn’t have to be in the form of money. It may work out well if you give them what they want.
In almost every dining establishment, employees compete for the tables they prefer to serve during peak times. You can reward hardworking employees by placing them where they want to serve. You can also assign them to large parties with customers who are more likely to give generous tips.
Since a server’s performance would improve if he could work from his preferred location, offering shift choice on occasion will be highly sought after by your staff as long as it’s feasible for your business.
If a team member was proven reliable, they should be given the option to select their shift or weekly schedule.
By doing so, you won’t have to worry about coordinating everyone’s schedules, and the employees will be eager to choose their shifts for the coming week. A little authority goes a long way if you want to motivate your restaurant’s staff.
Set Up An ‘Idea Reward’ System
In all likelihood, some of your staff have excellent suggestions for improving business operations or customer service quality.
This doesn’t mean you’ve failed, and it doesn’t mean they want to bring down your leadership in any way; they’re just interested in helping out. The lack of trust in their abilities is the main reason they aren’t participating.
Develop an ‘idea reward’ system to motivate your staff to share their ideas. The trick is to give the team authority over the plan. In other words, if someone in the team has an idea, the rest of the team decides whether or not to pitch it to you. The incentive (say $100) is provided for the suggestion itself, regardless of whether it’s implemented.
Give Out Free Meal Vouchers And Other Coupons
A tired worker can become an enthusiastic brand advocate by treating them to a meaningful sit-down meal for two once or twice a month.
Don’t limit your gratitude to only giving away free meals. Concert tickets and car wash coupons are also great options. Employees will value discounts and gift cards just as much.
Where Should Incentives Lie?
Employees will be less motivated to work toward rewards if they don’t think they can receive them. Showing them that they’ll need to work extremely hard for five years before receiving their first significant reward is unmotivating, especially if they’re already putting in a lot of effort every day. Overall, it’s essential to prioritize productivity over longevity.
If you’re looking for a metric to base your decisions on, forget about check totals and years of employment and focus instead on skills and efficiency. Incentives for the entire shift are another option; in this case, everyone works together to keep everyone else truthful about their accuracy and efficiency and to pitch in and help those who get stuck.
Conclusion
Pay attention to the effects of expressing gratitude. The rewards may be small, but they will show your restaurant staff that you’ve paid attention to what they’ve been doing for your business. To express your gratitude, try engaging in team-building exercises and offering encouragement. The result will be a dramatic improvement in staff loyalty. Encouragement is a great way to increase both output and spirit.
