Measure Training Effectiveness Restaurants

Each year globally many millions in Sterling are spent on training in the Hospotality Industry. It would seem reasonable to establish just how effective this training has been if only to help justify the budget.

When it comes to evaluating training effectiveness, the Psychological Community typically falls into two main camps.  The narrow focused approach being attributed to Donald L Kirkpatrick in the early 1960s and the somewhat broader model advocated by P. Warr et al (The Evaluation of Management Training) known as the CIRO model. The CIRO model looked at context evaluation, input evaluation, reaction evaluation and outcome evaluation.  Personally I have found Kirkpatrick's methods to be the most widely adopted in the Hospotality Industry.

Donald L Kirkpatrick’s "Four steps to measuring training effectiveness”

This model uses four separate stages for the evaluation of the effectiveness of a training program.

The four stages are:-

1. Reaction – How the trainee “feels about the course”?  
2. Learning – Did learning occur?  
3. Behavior – Has behavior changed? 
4. Results – Has productivity or quality of work improved? 

1. Reaction - We use post course feedback to attain this.

The first stage is about the reaction of the trainee to the training. This sort of measurement is concerned with how the trainees "feel” about the course. The usual course feedback sheets are an example of the Kirkpatrick level 1 evaluation. Most organisations do not do any more than this type of measurement and analysis. The drawback is that we do not really know if the trainee has actually learnt anything. 

2. Learning - We use pre & post-tests than compare the results to validate this.

The second stage is about answering the question, did learning occur?  We can test this by using a pre-test and post-test and comparing the results. The questions need to be objective and closely related to the course objectives. In this way we can determine if the training actually delivered knowledge and this was understood by the trainees at the time. Weather or not the trainee remembers the training 3 weeks later is answered in the next stage.

3. Behaviour -  We use trainer/ manager feedback to validate this.

The third stage is about measuring if behaviour has changed. By that we mean the measurable change in an individual as a result of their attendance on the training course. While a behaviour may change during a training session, or even for a few days immediately after that, it is critical to revisit the trainee with a post training assessment at least 1 week after the training has occurred.  In the Hospotality Industry this could mean a visit by a district manager or a feedback form completed by a direct supervisor.  A sustained change in behaviour must me observed.

4. Results - We look to improvement in our KPI’s to validate this.

The fourth and final stage is about looking to our KPI's to determine if the training was ultimately successful.  We need to look at our KPI's to determine if the training has actually been translated into tangible benefits to the organisation. These are metrics which really have an impact on the "bottom line” and for that reason feature in the companies balance sheets and KPIs.

We have to ask ourselves is this not the real reason for training?

Training has to make a real difference in performance and effectiveness.  Training has to deliver measurable results.  If you are running training programs at your restaurant organization, and you, like most companies are not measuring effectiveness... you may have one or more of the following problems:

High-turnover of staff, low morale, consistency issues, cleanliness issues, performance issues, quality issues.

If this is the case, reach out to us, let us help you.

4 Reasons why Video-based Training is the future of People Development

• Proximity of training to application
• Better standardization of time expectations
• Enriched Experience
• Overcome Language Barriers

1. Proximity of training to application

In many cases, people attend a training session and do not get a chance to apply what they learn straight away and when the time comes to apply the learning they cannot recall the solution in detail. By having videos kept online, employees can access the training videos just before they need it in real life rather than attending training class weeks/ months before they need it to complete the job. 

2. Better standardization of time expectations

By using video-based training, companies can also limit and track the time employees spend in training, i.e. a 2 minute training video will take only two minutes, not more than that. This permits better organization of the trainees time. 

3. Enriched Experience 

Videos make it easy for a trainer to demonstrate how a product/ procedure works in the real world. Photos and animation can always be helpful but a video can bring the product/ procedure to life for learners. A video showing how to handle an angry customer is substantially better than reading about it.

4. Overcome Language Barriers

According to a study conducted by Cisco, 90% of users, who use video conferencing technology very often, reported that a lot of cross-cultural and language confusion can be avoided with the help of this technology. Surely a picture speaks a 1,000 words!

In conclusion, video-based training is a powerful tool for any organization to train their staff and allow them to learn in-house. It will allow for saving resources while delivering a superior result.

To learn about the 4 Key Benefits of Video Based Training, click right here. 

The 4 Key Benefits of Video-based Training

Training through Video is quickly becoming the medium of choice for many restaurant organizatios because it is cost effective, has long lasting positive effects and allows everyone to learn at their own pace.  The result is a more productive, proficient and profitable work force. [You can watch a sample restaurant training video here.][1]

The 4 key benefits of video-based training are:
* Video based Training is Cost Effective
* Video based training has long-lasting effect on motivation and learning
* Allows everyone to learn according to their speed of learning
* Increase employees’ productivity and profitability

1. Video based Training is Cost Effective – Traditionally, staff need to travel from one site to another to attend/ conduct training and this generates a lot of investment for the organization in terms of cost and time. This investment could be a huge loss for the company given the high attrition rates in the hospitality segment. This is the reason that video based training, is preferred compared to traditional face to face training. Once created, the video training is available at any time and any place. Trainers can create materials that can be centrally housed on the web so employees can access it any time they need. This allows an organization to save a lot of time and expenses and invest the same in any other activity (John C. Boling). 

2. Video based training has long-lasting effect on motivation and learning – People watch television / video on a daily basis for entertainment or educational purpose and can easily remember what they have seen. One of the main advantages of video based training is the ability to connect with trainees on an emotional and cognitive level. Visuals and graphics used in a video training can have a long-lasting effect on trainees. Trainees can connect themselves with videos on an emotional level and it can have solid effect on trainees’ cognitive learning as well as motivational learning. Training videos with legends and self-explanations can improve the trainees’ confidence to learn and imply the same on work (Lin, 2003).

3. Allows everyone to learn according to their speed of learning – Each individual has a different pace of learning and understanding. Individuals need a certain amount of time to understand the training material and this differs from person to person. Video training allows the individual to go through the training material at a pace which is most appropriate for their learning. 

4. Increase employees’ productivity and profitability - According to a whitepaper written by Dave Boggs, founder of SyberWorks, online / video training programs help employees to increase their knowledge and skill levels. These video trainings will help them to become better at their jobs, more productive and efficient.  

There will always be a need for face to face or one on one training in any restaurant, but solely relying on this traditional training format would be detrimental to the organization.  It would be down right negligent to ignore the areas where Video based learning delivers a stronger result.   

Industry experts agree that of the many trends expected to affect the restaurant industry this year, these eight will leave the biggest impact on quick service.

1. Ingredient Transparency - People increasingly want to know about the ingredients and their origins in food. While that has been the case for a few years, 2014 should see the trend garner more mainstream attention. “Customers’ definition of value is fresh ingredients, quality food, and good-tasting food at reasonable prices. But fresh ingredients is No. 1,” says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant analyst at NPD Group, a Chicago-based consulting and market research firm. Riggs says. “Customers want to see that the ingredients and the food are not just holding somewhere.”
2. Bold Flavours - “People love flavors that take them somewhere,” says Sharon Olson, executive director of the Culinary Vision Panel, a Chicago-based group that looks at culinary trends. “Young people have grown up with various ethnic styles, but everyone is looking for new things.”
3. Food Costs will Stabilize - Climbing commodity costs shouldn’t hurt restaurants in 2014 as much as they did last year. SpenDifference, a purchasing cooperative for mid-sized chain restaurants, estimates food costs will rise 2 percent this year, a slight reduction from 2013.
4. Tea as a drink and an Ingredient - “Tea has been an object of fascination by devotees, but always an also-ran to coffee,” writes Michael Whiteman, president of New York food and restaurant consulting company Baum + Whiteman, in an e-mail. “Now that the mass market has some basic idea of coffee connoisseurship, curiosity is luring people into exploring the virtues of tea.” Many people don’t like tea by itself but “are drawn to it because the industry has added such strong sweetened fruit flavors that the bitter tannins disappear,” he adds.           “It is also a naturally healthy beverage with none of the calories of fruit juices,” says Kazia Jankowski, a culinary consultant who helped create the annual trends list for Denver’s Sterling Rice Group, a brand strategy and communications firm.
5. Mobile Technology will become the new norm - Mobile technology, both for customers and for operators, will continue to open new doors in the quick-service industry. “Mobile is clearly at the top of our trend list and at the top of our research and development,” says Jon Lawrence, director of product marketing, hospitality, for NCR Corp., a global provider in consumer transaction technology. “We’re sort of at or approaching that line, where what was once new and exciting is now expected."
6. Better-for-you foods go more mainstream - Better-for-you menu options will continue to permeate the limited-service industry, and more brands will invest in health tweaks as the trend goes mainstream. “Health is an overriding issue for many trends,” Jankowski says. “Foods that play to an audience looking for natural, healthy options are going to do well.” She adds that the better-for-you movement will grow not just through healthy meals like salads, but also through ingredient tweaks that help improve the nutrition profile of existing items. For example, ingredients such as lemons can be used to brighten dishes instead of salt, she says.
7. Flexibility in food and hours - Customers want breakfast, lunch, and dinner at various times in the day, experts say, and they’re also looking for smaller portions to tide them over until their larger meals.“It’s just an evolution of customization, and consumers want what they want when they want it,” says Mary Chapman, director of product innovation for Chicago-based market research firm Technomic Inc. “People get frustrated that they go into a restaurant shortly after 10 a.m. and they can’t get an egg muffin because the menu is now lunch.” McDonald’s is experimenting serving a few menu items from each daypart after midnight. Some restaurants are selling burgers all day. Others are offering items such as yogurt parfaits—originally meant for the morning daypart—anytime.
8. Sour and Tart Tastes - That means more pickled and fermented ingredients, Technomic’s Chapman says. “Consumers’ tastes are evolving, and they want more depth of flavour, kind of adding a sour note or a pickled tang,” she says.

You can read the full article here. 

All the cool Brands are using Infographics to generate buzz.  #myopinion

We can now count Samuel Adams as is in the cool club.  To celebrate National Lager Day; the Boston based beer manufactures have reached into their marketing budget and produced a nifty inforgraphic filled with "trivia-esque" tidbits to honer... #lager  Check it out HERE. 

Organisations that focus on maximising profit often fall into the trap of short term success at the cost of long term value. A business can lift short-term profit through several ways that may actually damage to shareholder value such as:

• Increase pricing in the short term, boosting profits from existing customers less able/ not immediately willing to switch to purchasing a competitors product, but ultimately alienating and potentially loosing a percentage of the existing customer base.
• Reduce pricing in the short term (including discounting) in an effort to boost market share, but ultimately damaging the long term value of the brand.  Think Pizza Express…
• Decreasing capital expenditure (either on fit out or facility maintenance) boosting profitability but damaging long-term competitiveness in the market.
• Decreasing operating costs, to the extent product quality or service are compromised, but with little negative impact on sales in the immediate term.

By focusing on maximising shareholder value, an organization is forced to:

• Give priority to the medium and long term versus the short term
• Give priority to the establishment of a sustainable competitive position, rather then provisional profit
• Give priority to growing future cash flow.

"Your business is in trouble when your specialists are acting as generalists" #myopinion

When it comes to organizational structure, it is essential to define clear roles without overlapping responsibilities or skill sets. Who is in charge of Operations? Marketing? Finance?  Have somebody who is the final decision maker in each area (especially when starting up).

It doesn't work if you have two people who are fantastic chefs, and they argue all the time in the kitchen over the right recipe; while nobody is monitoring the cash flow. So the team needs to be balanced with clear roles for everyone. To restate this incredibly important detail, a person who's sourcing investment should not be getting that involved in the kitchen, and the people in the kitchen should not be getting too involved in the sourcing of investment.

Senior and Middle Management must realise that they are there to support the folks who are working day in and day out in the restaurants. If you support your restaurant teams, you will increase their chances to be successful.  If Restaurant Teams are successful, the organization is successful.  Don't let the organization become “Head Office vs. Managers”. It is not Us vs. Them.  If we do our jobs properly; they can do their jobs properly. Nothing demonstrates an organization doomed for mediocrity then Head Office Staff who think the people running their restaurants are below them. #myopinion

In any medium sized company, the Organisational Structure is roughly the same. Bigger and smaller companies have more or less members of each group.  While everyone works hard to make a startup company successful, only a handful of people will actually realise substatial financial upside should there be an liquidity event. Senior Management: 3 - 5 people - This are the key stake holders.  The Founders, the Officers, the People who stand to make Millions if there is an exit event such as IPO or Accusation.  These are the people running the company, they seldom have much connection with the details of how the business operates... they are too busy running the company.

Middle Management: 30 - 50 people - These are the people running the business.  Directors of departments who moving forward initiatives, lead large teas of people and generally slaying dragons.  Less than 10% of all Middle Management will ever be considered for a Senior Management role.  These people stand to gain a Million or less if there is an exit event such as IPO or Accusation.

Managers: 300 - 500 people - These are the workhorses of the business.  General or Department Managers who are responsible for executing Middle Managements initiatives. These people deal with the bulk of the business's problems, customers and day to day activities.  It generally sucks to be a Manager and any =one in this position should be pushing and fighting to be promoted to the next level.    Less than 20% of all Managers will ever be considered for a Middle Management role. If you Middle Manager is one of the 90% who are going nowhere, it may be best to transfer out of that department into one with better growth potential. These people stand to gain 100K or less if there is an exit event.

Staff: 3,000 - 5,000 people - You have to start somewhere.   Basic, routine and repetitive tasks for a low hourly wage sum up this role.  If you are fortunate you will work for an excellent Manager who is going to grow in the organization.  This will mean opportunity for you.  If your manager is one of the 80% who are going nowhere, best to transfer out of that department or consider another job.   You will be very lucky if you receive any upside from an Exit Event.

Everyone who starts at Staff has has the a chance to break into Senior Management, most of them will not.

Know the company culture. All companies promote based on the same two criteria: Performance and Politics.  Philosophically I believe the correct combination for a successful culture is: 80% Performance and 20% Politics (or soft skills).  Some organisations run on a 50/50 breakdown, some 20/80... identify this.  Have a look at your performance reviews, bonus criteria or the types of people who get promoted.  What a company tells you and how a company operates can be two different things.  Defer to the compensation structure to understand how an organization values performance.

More tips for breaking into Management:

• Being good at Politics is extremely important to develop into Senior Management.  It is what sets you apart from the brilliant technicians.
• When there is a dispute, rise above the detail and work towards the solution.
• When at a meeting, ask everyone else's opinion.
• Do not get involved in the squabbles, rise above them.

When Senior Management talks about hiring "Great" people who "Fit" the Culture and will perform well, what exactly are they talking about?  A lot of them do a poor job clearly defining the aspects of performance so I am going to do it for you.  I will be citing finding from a Psychologist named Jeff Johnson who looked into this and in 2003 published a paper called Toward a Better Understanding of the Relationship Between Personality and Individual Job Performance (2003). In general terms, performance has three major components which can than be further broken down into more specific components:

Job Performance - Refers to being effective in tasks that make up one's job.  Every job (Chef, Server, Accountant, Director) can be defined by the tasks performed in that job. This component may be further refined into such factors as: adhering to procedures, oral communication, knife skills, recipe execution, etc.  This dimension of performance is clearly JOB orientated and refers to performing ones job effectively.

Organizational Performance - Refers to being a good organizational citizen and helping make the organization run smoothly by contributing in ways that go beyond ones particular job. This component may be further refined into such factors as: conscientious of others, not showing up hung over, not getting stressed out and being committed to the company.  This dimension of performance clearly goes beyond ones job and refers to being effective in contributing to the overall welfare of the ORGANIZATION.

Adaptive Performance - Refers to the ability and willingness to cope with uncertain, new and rapidly changing conditions on the job. This component may be further broken down into such factors as: adjusting to new equipment/ procedures, working under different managers, changing restaurant environments and continuously learning new skills.  An environment of change often requires the organization to work around projects rather than well-defined and stable jobs, which in turn requires workers who are sufficiently flexible to be effective in poorly defined roles.

This is not the black and white, task-focused work environment our parents lived in.  Gone are the days when an employee could say "That is not in my job description" or "you pay me to cook, not do dishes" or "why should I do the inventory, I do not get paid to do the inventory".  Drawing a line between your job and the organization is career suicide in todays work environment. Today the effective performer must make additional contributions that go beyond their job description.  Task Performance will always be relevant because that is the job we are hiring employees to do.  But the expectations now are for employees to go beyond their jobs, to help the organization in whatever ways present themselves and to adapt to rapidly changing work conditions.  To be a top performer in todays work environment, one must exhibit a wider range of skills than our parents had to.

If your are not using a Managers Diary in your Restaurant, your going nowhere.  I believe a Manager Diary should have 2 sections: Checklists & General Notes I like to have a Checklist for each of the day-parts of the Business.  At most of the Fast Casual Brands I have worked at, we trade over Lunch and Dinner.  On a typical day we will run with an Opening Manager (OM) and a (CM).  Therefore each day has an Opening and a Closing Checklist.

AM Manager ______                    

Opening Check List          

• Complete Prep List for the Day                               
• Complete Food Safety Checklist                
• Complete & Email Weekly Sheet                
• Check Email                                                                       
• Count Safe/ Set Tills                                               
• Order Change                                             
• Complete Deployment Chart
•  Lead Service
• Handover

Notes:

The Managers Log should sit in the office and be a means of communication between the Management Team.  Every person on the management team should start their shift by reading it and end their shift by writing notes in it.  It works particularly well for the CM to communicate to the following days OM without having to disturb them with a phone call/ email.  If filled out correctly, the OM will have no reason to call the previous nights CM for clarification.   The less Managers are disturbing each other during their time off, the better quality time off they can enjoy. Managers enjoying their time off without non-critical communication is an attribute of a strong Team.

These are examples of things that should be recorded in the Manager Log:

• Any problem that has been successfully resolved for the following Manager
• Any non-critical problem that you did not resolve for the following Manager but want them to be aware of
• Anything to do with Transfers
• Marketing Activity
• Vendor Activity
• Non-critical information about people
• Notes from phone calls
• Weekly Manager Meeting Notes
• Something positive that will make the following Manager smile

When I visit sites, I always try to flip through their Manager Log to get a sense of the team.  I feel comfortable making the following assumptions:

• If they are using it to "Bitch" at each other than the team is not functioning well
• If only one person writes in it but nobody else writes in it than the team is not functioning well
• If the entire Management Team is using it, if tasks have been initialed, boxes checked, meeting minutes documents than that team is going places.

MANAGER_DIARY