The recent workforce shortage brought the restaurant industry to its knees. Fewer employees have carried the burden of prepping, cooking, and serving food while working to keep guests safe. Now, massive layoffs in other sectors (including tech, real estate, etc.) will create more job seekers in the restaurant/hospitality industry. This influx of new employees means that restaurant brands will need to build (and reinforce) cultures of excellence.
Tech is essential to this effort. Restaurants must adopt tech solutions to boost safety, quality, accuracy, transparency, consistency, and compliance – all factors that contribute to brand excellence. To accomplish this:
- Improve training efforts. Unfortunately, many restaurants are using archaic training programs, so update your training to be current, relevant, and tech driven. Some restaurant brands have started successfully utilizing microlearning platforms, learning management systems, AI, and gamification to provide interactive, engaging training opportunities for their employees. It’s also wise to periodically offer live trainers who can explain details, share experiences, answer questions, and supplement online training. When you invest in modern training programs, your employees better understand (and comply with) safety and QA protocols and deliver safer experiences for guests.
- Boost safety and quality protocols. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the massive Jack-in-the-Box foodborne illness outbreak, where 732 customers were sickened and four died. Yet, three decades later, foodborne illness remains a huge problem. The CDC estimates that, each year, 48 million (one in six) Americans get sick from contaminated food or beverages, a problem that costs more than $15.6 billion annually in the US alone. To increase key metrics for your restaurant – including customer loyalty, sales, and profits – establish and maintain an exemplary food safety culture, where all employees work collaboratively to maximize safety and minimize risks.
- Ensure safety all along the supply chain. Your restaurant may be following proper safety protocols, but if your suppliers deliver tainted products, your organization (and guests) are at risk. Therefore, food safety and QA must begin at food products’ point of origin and continue all along the supply chain until the food is (safely) served to your guests. Restaurants should routinely conduct supplier audits to be certain that all food safety and QA practices are being followed before the food even arrives at your restaurant. Additionally, audits and confirmation of safety certifications should be standard operating procedure before working with new vendors. Tech tools are instrumental in streamlining this effort.