January 9, 2009
Created in cooperation with the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers
Greg Witmer is Director of Training for Ninety Nine Restaurants in Woburn, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART)
Opening a new restaurant is always a challenge for everyone involved. When devising a training program for a restaurant opening, you must be prepared to take many factors into consideration. One of the biggest challenges is finding the right people to train in an opening scenario. For example, twenty years ago, I watched a quality employee who was a line cook, but a rough and tumble ex-marine, find a way to adapt his style to training a challenged new hire. He devised his own methods to come up with some alternative training methods to effectively train her in a way she would best learn. Openings require adapting training to each unique situation. Here's what I've discovered are the key points to consider in an opening:
Construction—Your Best Friend: Make the construction department a real ally so that you know when you can actually start the training.
If You Have a Training Program... If you have a training program in place, you need to examine your standard hourly training program to see if it fits the new restaurant. Give yourself enough time to adequately train your crew.
Trainer Selection and Training: Look for opening trainers who have leadership skills and the ability to work on a team.
Benefits of Small Group Method: Think small groups (8-10 people) when it comes to scheduling training and writing training programs so that there is a smaller ratio of trainer to student.
High School vs. Elementary School: I advocate the elementary school principle of one teacher for many topics, which allows the trainer to get a much better feel for the people in their group.
Practice Like You Play: I follow the philosophy of former football coach Bill Walsh, whose philosophy was practice like you play. Develop training programs that replicate real life situations.
Dress Rehearsals: Schedule dress rehearsals as if they were a normal night of work. Argue for a dress rehearsal that is as close to the real restaurant experience as possible.
Who's In Command Here? Have clear definitions of authority and responsibility. Separate what the trainers can correct (skills), versus what the managers need to correct (behaviors).
Role of the Management Team: During the training period, the managers should not be integral to the training program. The manager's role should be that of an enforcer.
Transitioning to Operations: Operations has to be sure that operations will be ready for the exit. There needs to be a good exit plan.
Measuring Results: Zero in on two valid measurements: the guest satisfaction indicator or mystery shopper, and the hourly turnover rate. Don't use sales or profit as a measurement.
Who's Paying for this Mess? Determine early who will be responsible for which expenses. Be realistic in your expenses, not extravagant. Determine who plans versus who approves expenses.
Selling Your Program: It's important to sell your training program to the organization. Tell them why training matters and how you can ultimately make them money.
