FOH training program

I've recently been given the challenge of taking over the FOH operations. This is not going to be easy. All of my training is in running the kitchen. It's my concern that my efforts will come off as too rigid and angry. If there are any models that can help me design a fool proof, open ended, plan that will imropve the staff's attitude and encourage productivity... I will gladly use them

Chef Matthew Brown

Tags: FOH, guest, models, relations, training

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Permalink Reply by Marilyn Sherman on May 22, 2010 at 9:38pm

Hey Chef Matthew - I am speaking at NRA tomorrow on How to Increase Tip Percentage and Check Average at you Restaurant. Let me know if you want some help with that topic. And you are right - anger doesn't bode well with training and inspiring a team!

Good luck,

Marilyn Sherman

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Permalink Reply by Mark Netsch on June 7, 2010 at 5:16pm

Chef,

You might try contacting Dorothy Frisch at Polished Service. Dorothy does service training and has a really good touch with this sort of thing. I imagine she'd be happy to give you some ideas. She's on FohBoh.

Mark Netsch

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Permalink Reply by Pamla Palkovics on July 8, 2010 at 7:53am

I would suggest asking your FoodService provider first for any help they can give you. I head up the Value Added department for Virginia Food Service and one of the services we provide is waitstaff training as a free service to our customers. I will meet with the manager to find out what topics they would like me to highlight and then they call a staff meeting for FOH. Not only does this highlight some of the important topics that all servers should know, but it takes the pressure off the manager by having a 3rd party discuss these topics. It also opens up the floor for the staff to discuss anything else that is on thier mind.

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Permalink Reply by Devin McMillan on July 11, 2010 at 2:06pm

Chef Matthew,
If you already have ideas for change, you might want to talk to the staff on why they do things a certain way. This opens up conversation instead of coming off rigid and angry. Engage your staff, don't control them. Be open to discussion and explain "Why" you are going to change things in a way that will be appealing to the foh (quicker, better service, better tips, etc). Everyone hated when their parents said "because I said so, that's why" :)

Devin McMillan

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Permalink Reply by Tony Garner on October 22, 2010 at 2:21pm

Do you have a training team in place now? Or is this a from the floor up FOH training?

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Permalink Reply by PeopleMatter on December 27, 2010 at 9:58am

Hi Matthew,

One thing that really impacts the performance and engagement of your staff is the culture of your establishment. Is it somewhere your servers want to work? Are they happy, valued, and satisfied in their current positions? If they are, then you should have a relatively easy time working with your new FOH staff. However, if your employees aren't completely content with their jobs, your management, or a number of other small issues, then you may have a MUCH harder time getting everyone to work together like a floor staff should. Take a look at some of these articles–they may help with managing your staff and indirectly improve customers' experiences and satisfaction at the same time.

HR and Management Tips: http://www.peoplematter.com/blog/griswolds-hr-vacation

Culture, Branding, and Revenue Pt. 1: http://www.peoplematter.com/blog/culture-connection-linking-culture...

Culture, Branding, and Revenue Pt. 2: http://www.peoplematter.com/blog/culture-connection-linking-culture...

Hope this helps and good luck!

The PeopleMatter Team