Top Twenty Staff Motivation Ideas For The Food Industry
Staff Management On Steroids: Revealing The Top Twenty Staff Motivation Ideas For The Food Industry

Staff Management On Steroids: Revealing The Top Twenty Staff Motivation Ideas For The Food Industry

There can be no doubt about it; the food service industry relies on customer satisfaction. Whether you manage a restaurant, a hotel or another type of catering service, customer satisfaction is crucial, and with the right staff management great results can be accomplished.

There are many elements to customer satisfaction but the one that comes up again and again in customer reviews is the friendliness and competency of food hospitality staff. Learning how to motivate your staff to provide excellent service is one of the key management skills.

staff management

Some success in this will come with experience but there are tried and tested restaurant staff incentives and hotel management tips that do work, and can be used right across the food service industry. We have the top twenty staff motivation ideas for the food industry below.

Be a good role model

Possibly the most important of the food industry staff motivation ideas is to ensure that your own behaviour models that which you wish to see in your staff.

Adopt a positive mental attitude

Whilst it is important to be realistic and make decisions based on economic and market reality rather than over-enthusiasm, a positive mental attitude will improve your staff management success.

Talk to your staff

You might think that talking to your staff is a pretty obvious restaurant or hotel management tip; of course you talk to them. Think carefully however about how much of your staff communication is centred on giving instructions and how much on discussing to views and ideas.

Make staff meetings fun

Meetings are essential for effective staff management so if you aren?t having them, start now. If you already have regular meetings with your staff, bring an element of fun into them with some quick icebreaker activities.

Ensure access to the correct tools

If your electronic ordering system is out of date or your dumb waiter prone to malfunctioning then your staff are fighting a losing battle for customer satisfaction before they even start the day. Keep a tight eye on maintenance and repair of equipment and take action as soon as staff point out an issue.

restaurant staff incentives

Have an effective conflict management policy and use it

A staff in conflict is a demotivated staff so one of the best restaurant incentives has to be the knowledge that any inevitable workplace conflicts will be dealt with quickly and in a measured way.

Have a staff suggestion system and be seen to respond to it

The days where staff suggestions were scribbled on tiny pieces of paper and shoved into a box are gone. We all enjoy bouncing ideas off each other so use online tools to encourage staff discussion and idea generation. You might even find that your staff have some excellent restaurant or hotel management tips.

Don?t expect your staff to carry colleagues who are not up to the job

Even the kindest of employees will eventually feel put upon if they have to work harder to cover for someone who can?t quite pull their weight. Be aware of these issues and be quick to provide hotel and restaurant staff incentives in the form of training.

Change can be an excellent staff motivation idea

Even the best of jobs with the best staff management team can become boring. Make sure you make regular changes, not just to customer service and menus, but to staff incentives as well.

Offer staff development opportunities

CDP may not seem like an important example of hotel or restaurant staff incentives, but by training your staff you are showing them that they are essential to you and that their skill set matters to your business.

hotel management tips

Discuss gratuities and tips management with your staff

Restaurant tipping has had a bad press over the last few years but a well thought out gratuities system that has been developed with your staff can go a long way towards ensuring that your customers receive the satisfying experience they are after.

Be seen to give rewards

If you are seen to reward great customer service as it occurs then even the most reluctant of your staff will get on board with the idea that the customer comes first. Try ideas such as spot prizes, weekly themed rewards or monthly bonuses.

Have a fair but firm staff absence policy

Ensuring fairness without losing compassion when staff request absence can be one of the trickier restaurant and hotel management tips to fulfill. A staff absence policy that lays down the basics but gives you flexibility when appropriate can be a great staff retainer.

Reward team work

Staff management research suggests that workplace rewards, which focus on the individual, work to a certain extent but can be derogatory in a context where teamwork is key to success. By rewarding a whole team you can encourage cooperation.

Rise above workplace gossip

Workplace gossip can seem like innocent chatter but it is often divisive and disruptive. One key restaurant and hotel management tip is to go one step beyond refusing to join in with gossip and make an active stance against it.

staff motivation ideas

Remember your roots

If you are one of the many managers in the food services industry who started off as front of house or kitchen staff yourself, remember where you came from and have a think about which of the staff motivation ideas worked for you and, maybe more importantly, which didn?t.

Be respectful

Workplace banter has its place in the realm of hotel and restaurant staff incentives but, as a manager, you need to be aware of the potentially negative impact of banter. A good staff management policy will always include a point about treating all members of staff with respect.

Give credit where credit is due

If you are running a smooth and successful team then credit is definitely due to you but it would be a mistake to take all of that credit yourself. Encourage senior management to recognise the achievements of your team as a whole.

Adopt the WE/ME system of staff management

This simple restaurant or hotel management tip packs a lot of punch with the workforce. When things go well, use the pronoun ?we? and when things go wrong, take the blame yourself and use ?me?, you are in charge after all.

Keep the work environment fresh and organised

Whether it is a hotel, a restaurant or even a marquee in the middle of a field, a fresh and tidy workplace environment makes for a happier and more responsive workforce.

There can be no doubt about it, working in the food services industry can be hard work but it can also be a very rewarding environment in which staff get the opportunity to have direct customer contact and reap the emotional rewards of additional effort. These staff motivation ideas have been designed to help you develop your own portfolio of restaurant and hotel management tips. Try a few out and see which suit you and your staff.

At IMS of Smithfield we supply meat, including an excellent range of halal meats, to high-class hotels and restaurants across London. We also offer help and advice on bespoke meat products. For more information please get in touch here or call us today on 020 7833080.