July 4, 2008
Ed. note: In ancticipation of QSR's upcoming webcast "Build a Better Drive-Thru," this installment of the Training Manual e-newsletter focuses on tips for motivating drive-thru employees. To register for the free webcast, visit www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/interactive_reports/.
Looking for some cool new ways to motivate your drive-thru staff? Though incentives are a great add-on system to improve your employees' performance, ultimately the culture you create -- one that demands excellence -- truly raises the bar.
Since incentives can never get the wrong employee to do the right thing, make sure "The STARS Work the Cars!" In other words, put your best people in these stations and let the race begin. Here are a few effective contests:
"FUN"d-raiser: Reward cashiers who beat the total sales goal for a given hour. This approach allows them to focus on the total number of cars, as well as suggestive selling. Let them earn 1 point for every sales dollar they beat the goal by. The employees can save the points for prizes. You can simply focus on check average as well to reinforce suggestive selling, but if they slow the line down too much, you lose! Post the total sales and check averages of cashiers so they balance speed and selling -- you win both ways!
Cashier Bingo: Create bingo cards with different items for the cashier to sell. Each time they sell one of a particular item, they cross out that box. Complete the card and win a prize such as a free meal, an extra 10 cents per hour for that shift, schedule preference, or a get-out-of-side-work-free card.
Closest to the Pin: Have the team guess service times, total (or hourly) sales, or total cars through during the peak hour(s). Reward the person who guesses the closest. You can also use this contest for over/short as well. Giving people a vested interest in the outcome makes them more focused on it!
Right on Time: Tell the drive-thru team they have the potential to earn a 10-cent raise (or 10 lottery tickets, $10 cash, or 10 free meals). Each time an order goes over the allotted time standard, a mistake is made, or the food is sloppy, they lose one cent (or ticket, dollar, or free meal). This contest is a great way to reward the production team and balances the two critical elements -- speed and accuracy.
Football: Reward 1 "yard" for every order that is correct and on time. Penalty flags are thrown (and yardage is lost) for incorrect orders (15 yards), slow times (10 yards), or no suggestive selling (5 yards). Reward the team for each touchdown scored. Have a store vs. store or shift vs. shift playoff system to create some competition and encourage teamwork.
Cashier Milestones: Reward cashiers with incentives or raises as they hit various sales milestones. Post the cumulative sales for the week, month, and year -- retail stores often determine raises in this fashion. Employees need to understand how much business they really impact. Imagine the look on a cashier's face when they realize they handled over $100,000 in business in the last year -- that's a mini-company. Pay and reward them accordingly. As they reach each level, celebrate the success and incentivize them. Soon, they'll be so focused on speed and suggestive selling, your cash register will be burning up!
GATOR (Get All the Orders Right): Place a "buck" into a box for each hour no mistakes are made. At the end of the quarter divide the bucks based on the percentage of total hours worked by the team. Hold an auction to bid on prizes and watch the focus on accuracy make a huge impact.
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