ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - April 27, 2001

Hello from Florida where I am continuing with the bowling center project. Next week it is Atlantic City for the New Jersey Restaurant Association and the North Carolina Restaurant Show in Charlotte.

STAFFING UP
It is the time of year when lots of folks are trying to staff up for a busy summer season. This can be a mind-numbing process . . . and all the more so if you are opening a new operation in the process. Awhile ago, a subscriber had a question about how to make this process more painless and it seemed like time to share my approach to the subject.

The Question
I am about to open my first restaurant (after owning a gourmet food store & catering company for 8 years). How can I find the time to put a quality staff together when there are still so many details that I have to deal with just getting the construction finished? Thank you for any input you may offer.

The Prescription
When job-seekers arrive one by one to apply, it requires a tremendous amount of time on your part. Each will ask about the same questions, each will need about the same information and each will require about the same handling. Human nature being what it is, the first few people will receive a thorough briefing with a smile. Those who apply toward the end of the process are lucky to receive their paperwork and a grunt! Your staff just wears down.

Why risk alienating good candidates? Why not make it easy on yourself? When you find yourself planning a major influx of new workers, consider holding a series of Employment Seminars. These are group meetings where you introduce the operation, explain your goals and outline the selection process. Depending on your preferences, you could even conduct some generic foodservice training. If you conduct the session properly, some attendees will elect not to apply, relieving you of a certain amount of work. Of those who take the material home, an additional percentage will not return it. This self-screening will save you hours of unproductive time.

Saving time is a plus. However, the major advantage is that employment seminars ensure that all applicants hear the same message and receive the same information. This uniformity is difficult to achieve under any other format. A group meeting also creates an opportunity to build enthusiasm by giving applicants a look at their potential co-workers. If the group gets excited, individuals are more likely to get excited, too. You can do worse than having a group of excited people who want to work for you!

The owner or other high-ranking company officer should conduct, or at least moderate, the employment seminar. When the boss is present, it lends credibility to the process and helps job-seekers understand that the meeting is important to the company. The real purpose of the employment seminar is to touch people with your vision. Those who are touched will get excited, those who are not will go to work for someone else!

The first important element is that you treat everyone the way you would like them to treat your guests. That means a warm greeting when they arrive, a little personal attention from someone, perhaps some refreshments while the group comes together, a comfortable setting and so forth.

When you start the session, introduce yourself and share your vision for the restaurant. Share a little personal information (but keep it short -- they want to know what's in it for them, not to hear a day-by-day account of your childhood years!) and let them know what the selection process is going to look like. You will essentially be presenting the information that is in your Advice to Applicants letter. At the end, invite them to take a letter and an application and get back to you when they have all the information together.

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