Bahaa: Raising the Bar, Starkville, MS (2026)

03/22/2023

How to Train Your Restaurant Staff Properly (guaranteed to save you time and money)

You’re probably wasting time and money training new talent.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As a restaurant manager or owner, we’ve all been there. Hire new staff, get warm bodies at a station, and leave them to it.

Simple enough right?

Dead wrong. This sacrifices money, time, reputation, and possibly worse, losing the employee the sacrifice was made to onboard in the first place.

I’ll outline 3 tiers you want to focus on to get the most out of your training program:

Tier 1 Training

This is the common first week of onboarding and training the new hire on the basics of their eventual station. Front or Back of house.

First thing to note, don’t skimp on this part. Many restaurants do. It’s integral to the impression the new hire gets of your restaurant or company. We all know they could stop coming in for their training at any time. This is why it’s imperative it’s done correctly.

Restaurants lose a lot of talent because of lackluster onboarding. So welcome them with open arms. Greet them well. Be just as excited as the first day you met them. Make sure to have all the boarding papers and manuals they’ll need to succeed ready before they arrive.

It’s wise to have a few of these printed at all times in the office.
For all positions, Front and Back.

With the onboarding papers should be a training schedule, whether that’s on a scheduling app or printed for them. The training schedule is akin to a Bible. It should be followed religiously. Every position in the restaurant should have a succinct training schedule. This outlines what is learned and completed on each day of training.

Give them a tour of the facility and introduce them to their colleagues. Give them a basic understanding of rules like parking, bathrooms, clocking in, and duties.

Another opportunity for success is to pair the new hire with an experienced but also high performing team member that’ll train well. Experience doesn’t always equal a good trainer, which many establishments goof on. Choose your best trainer for the job. Someone consistent and high performing so that the new hire gets the best possible role model.

An imperative part of the process is the new hire should be tested somehow at the end of the shift. Go over, one on one, what they learned. Give a simple quiz to gauge their knowledge. Or even have them do something in front of you that was part of the training. This way the massive amounts of information is broken down into bite size pieces for them to absorb.

Before cutting a new staff member loose to work solo, observe them for about 45 minutes on their last training shift. They should be as autonomous as possible by this point. This way they don’t unintentionally wreak havoc on the restaurant by upsetting guests and coworkers.

If they’re not ready, simply assign more training. Or realize they won’t make the cut and respectfully part ways.

Strict structure like this will show new and old employees that this job is to be taken seriously. Which is missing in several restaurants.

Tier 2

The question you need to ask at this point is: “How can I get this newer employee as good as our best employee(s)?”

It’s suggested to do this over a 90 day period, overall.

Mandatory hour long meetings spread through the week (Mon/Wed/Fri for example):

12 days food
12 days wine
12 days spirits/cocktails

Taste all products and learn as much as possible about them during each meeting.

Knowledge bridges all gaps. Taking action gets everyone across the bridge. This alone gets you further than 90% of restaurants.

Important to note: just like you check in daily during the first week of training, now it’s recommended you check in every 30 days.

-Give them a review.
-Ask them their concerns about you and your restaurant.
-Take the time to listen and show you care.

Tier 3

This Tier is the most overlooked by restaurants: The development of their staff!
-Identify top talent
-Nurture that talent
-Then develop them for a higher role/position

Hard workers and top talent will appreciate this enough to stay much longer.

Hiring (or promoting) most managers is usually a rushed process
(see my video about the Peter Principle).
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hPcT06NQIb8

Sit down with people and do an annual or biannual review (similar to reviews of the other tiers).

Remember, our professional lives exist to support our personal lives.

Most people that work at restaurants are working so they can pay their bills. This frame should be at the foundation of your approach to employees.

It’s good to understand what your employees are getting out of their job.

Recap for success:

Tier 1: Get basic training done correctly!
Tier 2: Take time to train on finer points, improving the abilities of your staff.
Tier 3: Develop top talent for bigger career moves.

Thanks for reading! Give me a follow for more restaurant and bar industry insights like this.

03/18/2023

What is power to you? Do you see it as domineering and negative? It doesn’t have to be:

According to former IBM CEO and author of Good Power, Ginni Rometty, you can wield “Good Power.”

“You can do very hard, meaningful things, but you can do them in a positive way. That’s what I call Good Power.” -Ginni Rometty

Building Belief is the core of Good Power.

When someone has a why, they’ll voluntarily do something, rather than be told to do it.

As a leader, it’s imperative you listen to what others have to say.
Show that you’re on their side and you care.
Listen. Don’t simply wait for your turn to speak.

“You may not remember everything I said.
But you will remember how I made you feel.” -Maya Angelou

If people want to do something, they’ll use their “discretionary” energy focusing on the task.
Rather than distractions or frustrations.

Here is the simple framework for building belief:

1. Don’t dictate, co-create

If you co create the future, people will use their positive, discretionary energy to tackle the project with you. You utilize the small bit of effort from the beginning, saving more work down the line. Agreement creates better ex*****on. Equilibrated state is that much easier to pursue.

2. Make it personal

Making it personal acquires you “hearts, not parts.”
Note with other parties involved that risk is shared. The good and bad.
Use empathy to understand that change affects you both.

3. Be authentic

“The role of a leader is to paint reality and then give hope.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

There is no straight road to success. Being honest with others cushions the harsh blow of reality. Many of the toughest projects involve bringing people along with you as a leader. Being authentic makes it much easier.

At the end of the day, when you hire others, it should be to build them. Not buy them.

Thanks for reading! Like and share to show some love.
Follow for more leadership and business insights like these!

03/13/2023

May you realize your worst distractions come from within. Not without.

Good morning

03/11/2023

What makes a Great Manager?

In her book "Makings of a Manager" Julie Zhuo goes over 8 components, but I'll dive into 3:

1. Build Trust

We do 3 things when we trust managers:
-We share problems we’re facing
-We’re not afraid to give them feedback
-We would work for them again

What do great managers do to build trust?

-Show vulnerability
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.” -Professor Brene Brown

-Give specific advice and feedback
“Great job” vs “Great job on focusing on customer surveys and slide 7 of the presentation.”

-Prepared for 1:1’s. It means they prioritized the employee over other work. The staff will recognize that.

*The 1:1’s should focus on questions that
a. Identify
b. Understand
c. Support
Your colleague

2. Give great feedback

Great feedback, according to Julie, inspires us to change our behaviors.

-Great managers set clear expectations
Giving time frames and specific duties helps others understand what “success” means in that job role

-They give specific advice to bolster specific outcomes
Saying a presentation was complicated is too ambiguous. Highlighting the parts the audience was lost and parts that engaged them works much better.

-They collect 360 Feedback
“Our fight and flight instinct kicks in when we receive critical feedback, and that hurts our ability to process what we just heard and react thoughtfully.” -Ed Batista, professor Stanford

Combining managerial feedback with the feedback of teammates is less threatening, since a 360 view is more objective and comprehensive.

Bonus: If a colleague doesn’t agree with your feedback, ask them to verify with their colleagues' thoughts as well.

3. Conduct amazing meetings

Julie states, every meeting needs to have a specific outcome.

5 Outcomes that warrant a meeting:

-Making a decision
-Sharing information
-When feedback needs to be given on a project/plan
-Generating ideas
-Strengthening relationships

The other components of a great manager are, [they]:

4. Manage themselves
-They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and are willing to shore up both

5. Hire Well
-They focus on the right questions and vocal leaders over average drones

6. Prioritize ex*****on
-Once a specific direction is picked, they bolster speed in that direction. This is prioritized over strategy.

7. Delegate effectively
-They remind others of the purpose, not the task.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to build the ship…instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

8. Always walk the walk
-Managers can quickly lose respect for saying one thing, and doing another.
-Leading from the front is another timeless way to gain respect from your teammates

Check out the book, Makings of a Manager and tell me what you think!

Thanks for reading. Follow me for more business and leadership insights like this.
Share and like to support! Have a great weekend.

03/08/2023

May you be like a vine that produces grapes without wanting anything in return.

Good morning

03/07/2023

May you call them challenges and opportunities.

Not problems and complaints.

Good morning

03/06/2023

Hell:

A sumptuously provisioned banquet hall full of hungry people with locked-strait elbows who can’t feed themselves because their unbendable arms won’t allow it.

Heaven:

The same except people are feeding each other.

-Rabbi Haim

03/06/2023

“We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”

03/03/2023

"Do not extinguish your inspiration and imagination; do not become the slave of your model."
~ Vincent Van Gogh

03/03/2023

“A young man knows the rules.

An old man knows the exceptions.”

03/03/2023

May you be content to appear foolish, so you can improve and grow.

GM

03/02/2023

The 5 Keys to Building an Elite Mindset
according to psychologist Carol Dweck (via her book Mindset)

Mindset can be explained as how you see the world and process the world around you.
It’s the cornerstone for our thoughts and behaviors.

“Mindset” has over 2 million copies in print.

Here are the 5 key takeaways from it so you can build an elite mindset:

1. Growth Over Genius

People and organizations both develop mindsets.

Dweck participated in a Fortune 500 study, with intriguing findings.

-Organizations with a fixed mindset build a culture of “genius”
-Orgs with a growth mindset build a culture of “development”

When only talent is focused on, it creates a culture of selfishness.

When growth is leaned on instead, it creates a collaborative and helpful behavior.

Take action:
Value talent but praise growth.

Personally, take action to expand your talents. They’re flexible.
Organizationally, review the behaviors and mindset encouraged.
Make tweaks to foster growth over genius.

2. Resist Labeling

The Polgar family has produced 3 of the best female chess players ever.

Susan Polgar described her father’s mindset as:

“He believes innate talent is nothing. That success is 99% hard work and I agree with him.”

This matters because we label talented kids and people:

“My son is an honor roll student."
"The girl in my class is the smartest person there.”

Labeling creates expectations and also a belief that other people can easily put you in a box.

Take action:

Resist labeling as often as possible. Pay attention to where you use labeling. If you decide to praise someone, focus on their growth and development foremost.

3. Do Things that Take Effort

The topic of Effort can be a dividing one. Some fixed mindsets believe effort is risky. That geniuses don’t need it. Or actually trying eliminates excuses.

A fixed mindset worries about judgment and perfection. Giving effort undermines both.

Growth mindsets view effort as essential.

As Tennis legend Billie Jean King said, “What do you want to look back and say?:”

If it’s “I could have been,” then play it safe and protect your fragile identity.

If it's "I gave everything I had," then take a bold shot.

Take action:

Celebrate the “Risk” of effort. Tackle something you’ve been shying away from. Embrace a growth mindset and go for it.

4. Nurture a Love of Learning

If you’ve ever observed children, they have an innate desire to learn. Changing and learning almost daily.

However, as we transition to adulthood, we lose the light of learning that we used as kids.

We fall out of love with learning and focus more on what could make us successful.

This is indicative of a major mindset shift.

A growth mindset sees learning as fun and exciting. Sound familiar?

Challenges are opportunities to grow and make new connections in life.

Fixed mindsets view learning (similar to effort) as a threat.

Learning and failure are hand in hand, and learning can rattle our sense of self worth.

Take action:

Learning should be celebrated. Embrace the process, no matter how uncertain it may seem.

“Progress before perfection,” and as Dweck says “Becoming is better than being.”

Continue learning and becoming. And reap the rewards.

5. Challenge Your Beliefs

Mindset is planted deeply in beliefs. Meaning what you believe about:

-Your skills
-Your talents
-Your potential
-Others around you

Fixed mindsets believe qualities are just as fixed.
Growth mindsets know that qualities can improve over time.

For example, a fixed mindset would believe you’re “wired that way.”
While a growth mindset believes you can choose new behaviors any time.

Take action:

Observe your beliefs carefully. How do they align with a fixed or growth mindset?

To build an elite mindset, it starts with knowing you can change your current one.

Quick recap:

1. Growth over genius
2. Resist labeling
3. Do things that take effort
4. Nurture a love of learning
5. Challenge your beliefs

May these help you and your team build better mindsets.

Thanks for reading!
Follow me for more leadership and business insights!
Have a great weekend.

Bahaa: Raising the Bar

03/22/2023

03/18/2023

03/13/2023

03/11/2023

03/08/2023

03/07/2023

03/06/2023

03/06/2023

03/03/2023

03/03/2023

03/03/2023

03/02/2023

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category