Do You Wish There Was An Easier Way To Control The Gray Areas In Your Restaurant?
Last night you caught one of your waiters take a sip of iced tea from the bar. It was a busy night. The tables were full, and you thought you’d let him off the hook just this once.
You call it shrinkage. The waiter calls it “It’s just iced tea, and it was just a sip.” I call it the gray area.
Gray areas are small things that cause discrepancies in the work place – in this case, your restaurant. It’s just small things. But they add up over time, especially if the employees develop the habit of abusing them. Take a long hard look at your restaurant’s work culture. Does the environment promote honesty? Or do your employees cross the line to the gray area every chance they get?
I say it’s time to put your foot down and get this thing straightened out. Too much gray area is bad for your business.
Let’s see, what are your thoughts on these “gray area” situations?
• Free meals or drinks for every relative or friend who comes to visit.
• The rules allow the staff one drink at the end of the night. They each take two.
• Cooks burn ingredients all the time.
• Employees use the office computer to type a resume for another job.
• A waiter takes the initiative and says to the customer, “Sir, I’m very very sorry for the slow service. If it’s okay with you, sir, I won’t charge you for that.”
• Cook comes to the alcohol bar and says, “I have a friend who I haven’t seen in a long time visit me. Could you spare him a glass?”
• The staff uses the company phone for personal calls.
• Bar managers accepting gifts from food suppliers as bribes to secure an account.
The company’s—or your restaurant’s—Code of Conduct should address these gray areas clearly to avoid confusion later on. If it’s your first time running a restaurant, I suggest you hire a restaurant consultant to help you sketch the blueprint of your Staff Manual.
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