Basics of Restaurant Cross Training

Cross training.  I can almost hear you groaning at the mention of those two words.  Sure, cross training is a great idea, but where do you find the time to train cooks between positions in such a hectic environment?  The real question is, do you want to be caught without a plan when your best people leave for greener pastures?

Here are some statistics from an article in Forbes, “Declining Employee Loyalty: A Casualty in the New Workplace”

• There are studies which show that the average company loses between 20% to 50% of its employee base in any given year.
• A 2012 survey conducted by MetLife says that 1 in 3 people plan to leave their job before the end of the year.
• 76% of workers would jump ship if they were given the right offer.

Cross training becomes even more important when you know that any employee may leave at any time. The restaurant industry has a high turnover rate. Thus, it becomes a necessity to have succession plans in place. How do you devise a cross training program?

What skills should everyone have on your staff?  Should they all know how to be customer service oriented?  Are there tasks that each and every person should know how to complete?  Maybe you have a way that you fold your napkin, or perhaps you think that every person on the wait staff should be prepared to tend bar when necessary.   That’s up to you, of course.

Take a look at the list and think about who does the best at those skills and is good at teaching others. This may take some trial and error. Sometimes the best person in a position isn’t the best person to teach.

Giving your workers half an hour or an hour a week will help make them more well-rounded.  Try to pick a slow time like right after lunch rush to train your workers on the use of restaurant equipment, customer service, and other essentials within your restaurant.

Not only will cross training your people help you out by making your workers more versatile, there is also the chance that they might be better suited for one of the other jobs that you have within the restaurant.

Thanks go out to Roadside Pictures on Flickr for the Creative Commons use of the picture.