Setting the Tone
Posted by estiator at 13 December, at 07 : 33 AM Print
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach
If you’re like me, there is no more loathsome function as a restaurant manager than interviewing job candidates. I hate it. I even hate going through résumés. And the rise of internet job sites like Indeed have not truly improved the process. Post a server position requiring three years of waiter experience and out of ten applications, two will have camp counselor and babysitter as their previous work, four will be fast-food counter clerks, and two more will show 2007 as their last restaurant job. Of the two qualified applicants, one doesn’t respond to your email for an interview and the other makes an appointment and doesn’t show up.
Still, don’t get desperate. You don’t want to hire a body; you want to hire an asset. After all, your business is only as good as the people who work there.
From my experience, my best employees are the ones that I spent more time with at the interview stage. And, again, I hate interviewing. Still, it’s the most important part of the hiring process. Don’t pawn it off on a lesser teammate because your plate is full. Sit down yourself so you can read the candidate and, if you think they may work out, establish your expectations.
As this issue’s Service 101 column argues, culture is what drives a successful organization and cultural indoctrination (yes, that’s a severe word, but it’s appropriate) begins at the first meeting with a job candidate. To set the tone, let the candidate know what it takes to be successful in your restaurant. And let them know you’re not an idiot. I actually found myself saying the following words with the last person I interviewed, and I’m going to use them going forward: “I have to laugh when an employee thinks they’ve gotten one over on me. It’s as if I haven’t heard that lie or that excuse before. Once you do this for a while, you’ve heard it all. If you think you can fool me, you’re fooling yourself. I may let you think you’ve fooled me, but I’m only biding my time until I can replace you.”
You don’t want a robot to just take orders but someone who has thoughts and ideas and can have a positive impact.
“I’m a difficult boss,” I confess to them. “Good employees love me, and bad employees cry before they come in for their shift. I have high standards and I hold everyone, including myself, accountable to those standards.” But you can’t just be negative. You have to inspire, even during the interview.
As a manager, my primary function is to be a resource, I tell them. “I’m here to teach you how to earn higher tips; to build your guest check averages; to create a loyal customer following.” I look to staff for input into how to attract more customers, be it through events, theme nights, or specials. If they are someone that you think has potential, let them understand that you don’t want a robot to just take orders, but someone who has thoughts and ideas and who can have a positive impact on the business.
Finally, explain to them the things that make your restaurant special—the reason your regular customers keep coming back, the reason there is positive buzz throughout the area. Give them a menu to take home and study as well as a list of work standards. If you hire them, assign them a mentor who can help them find uniform items and can answer any questions before they start. In short, set them up for success. Because their success is your success.
Constantine Kolitsas is the president of CNK Consulting, a restaurant consultant and coaching business. he can be reached at 203-947-6234 or at ckolitsas@gmail.com.
