Just as Americans are congregating again and enjoying time with friends and family at their favorite restaurants, the restaurant industry is in the middle of another major roadblock — the labor crisis. Continued concerns about safety, pay and opportunity, as well as the enhanced federal unemployment payments, create real challenges for everyone in the industry. In the restaurant industry, sustained success has always been reliant on having a team of great people on your side, and 2021 is presenting some unique challenges in making that happen across the Eggs Up Grill system. I wish I could say that we have the silver bullet answer to the current labor challenges. Across my multi-decade career in this terrific industry, there has never been a silver bullet; it has always been a combination of tools, and it starts with having the right culture and environment for people to do great work, as well as a brand promise to our team members that I will share. I also have a strong belief that our industry will thrive again as an employer of more than 13 million people who love to cook for, host, and serve guests in thousands of restaurants across the U.S.

Everything to make you smile

Today’s hiring environment requires smart efforts from the start. Getting someone to show up for a scheduled interview is considered a success. Everyone is inundated with the daily war stories of running an operation that is short-staffed, and many locations even warn guests to expect less.
As simple as it is, what has shown the most promise for Eggs Up Grill has been keeping the brand promise of “everything to make you smile.” This brand promise is central to not only a great guest experience, but also the experience provided to every team member. We do not have a separate promise for our team members, nor do our franchisees. There isn’t a separate script. We treat our team members the same way we treat our guests and give our franchisees the freedom to do so as well. This approach is what makes it critical to hire the right type of individuals to join an existing team. We seek individuals who are naturally positive, energetic, and authentic, as well as those who inherently enjoy being part of a team and thrive in providing service to others. Eggs Up Grill has always put an emphasis on hiring the type of people who are attracted to the brand as guests. Our guests enjoy the friendly, casual nature of our experience and like to see a team that is personable and authentic, with permission to be themselves. It is always a priority to hire for personality and brand fit first, then train the skills needed for the specific role.

Keeping the promise

Brands are scrambling right now, offering incentives and sign-on bonuses to find new people. Eggs Up Grill is no different, but we also remain hyper-focused on keeping our brand promise, which builds rapport during these unique times. One example is the use of stay interviews. It’s an opportunity for a franchisee to sit down with a team member one-on-one and ask them direct questions about their personal experiences with the business. Asking simple but important questions to evaluate whether the position is as initially described, and meeting expectations is an effective practice. While select team members often assume a sit down means something is wrong, we’ve aimed to change that within our workforce. Stay interviews provide invaluable feedback, and it gives the team member a pep in their step. Most of us have been in situations where it was too late to save a team member who had not been happy for a while. Stay interviews help avoid surprises, retain quality team members, and in the case of the labor shortage, can ensure you retain staff. Also, this practice keeps us on the pulse of our team members’ happiness. The interviews create a personal relationship between the franchisee and team members, which is often considered a unique opportunity for most in the industry. While we try new tactics each day to find and retain team members, it’s likely a matter of time before recruitment begins to be a bit more normal. My advice is to ensure your brand has communicated a clear brand promise and purpose to your restaurant leaders to assist them in their recruitment and retention practices, and that your business lives that promise every day.

Here are the core hiring and retention practices for Eggs Up Grill:

Finding talent

Creative recruiting sources are a key component in a highly competitive industry. Referrals from your current team are always an excellent way to connect with like-minded and friendly folks, and local community organizations may equally provide useful recommendations and leads for talent acquisition. Additionally, Eggs Up Grill leverages digital recruitment for mass outreach and hosts open house events at our restaurants. This blends convenience with opportunity to walk through the role and the facility, conduct multiple interviews and potentially extend an offer all in the same day. It’s always best for the restaurant owner to lead the onboarding process, welcoming the new team member, sharing personal testimonials and passion for the business, along with a specific emphasis on why the new member’s role is important to the team.

Training

Quality training practices ensure consistency, establish expectations and follow brand guidelines to ensure the team member is competent and equipped to do their new job well and feel confident in their abilities. Providing ongoing feedback generates better communication channels and listening to the new team member about their training and experiences will both advance the relationship and guide best practices, further building the foundation of a long-term work relationship.

Rewarding the team

Making it a point to notice and recognize team members doing the right thing is more important than ever. It is incredibly important to identify and reward people doing the right things for the business. Calling attention to those winning behaviors highlights the small things that add up over time. Do not wait for the milestone achievements. Notice the everyday important things; it all adds up. Finally, creating opportunities for team members to grow professionally is a major incentive. Do more, learn more, both within your restaurant and across the brand. While the industry is going through a very challenging time, our business is incredibly resilient and blessed to have so many great people working together right now. The current circumstances are unique, but the winning plays in the playbook remain the same. – Source: Fast Casual.