By Jerome Chiaro

Restaurant staff training used to mean an apprenticeship with a chef at a popular restaurant. The novice learns from the veterans through observation and modeling. This system follows the adage that experience is the best teacher. However, today’s employees undergo training through a program, which uses the restaurant employee handbook as training manual.

The restaurant employee handbook has everything that an employee needs to know to do the job well, which included standards of excellence you expect them to achieve. Your handbook includes detailed restaurant job descriptions of the responsibilities and duties expected of an employee. It also describes the standard procedures for major restaurant operations, such as food preparation, customer service and sanitation. Lastly, it should include checklists and restaurant forms that your employees should know how to fill up.

Aside from the job descriptions and standard procedures, the restaurant employee handbook also contains a list of violations and their corresponding penalties. This section covers employee conduct, disciplinary actions and the due processes related to these areas. As part of restaurant staff training, an employee should know the kind of behavior accepted in the workplace and the consequences of displaying unacceptable behavior.

Restaurant staff training not only explains the rules and regulations of your restaurant business, but also the government laws concerning employment. Every employee expects to receive additional benefits aside from his or her salary. To start with, the restaurant should contribute a portion of each employee’s salary to health care as well as a portion for insurance. A separate section in your restaurant employee handbook explains these types of benefits your business provides for every job position.

However, as a business owner, you know that the extent of additional employee benefits your restaurant can provide depends on the profitability of your business. The law already demands that you provide the basic benefits, such as health care and accident insurance, aside from the weekly wages or monthly salaries, which are included in your restaurant employee handbook. The decision to provide more depends on your personal discretion and financial stability.

For example, you have the option to add extra benefits, such as monthly allowances for uniforms and free meals each day, or to offer profit sharing with your regular employees. These additional benefits may or may not be included in your restaurant employee handbook. However, they must be explicitly included in your employee contracts.

Job positions that receive hourly or weekly wages usually receive the basic benefits. Other benefits they receive include free meals, paid time off and a flexible work schedule. These kinds of benefits help them save money for meals and give them control over their work time and personal time. Your restaurant employee handbook should reflect these information and more for every type of position.

When you conduct your restaurant staff training, tailor your program according to the job positions of the employees in your class. Your restaurant employee handbook should include the other workplace rules on dress code, alcoholic serving policy, age discrimination, solicitation, and handling emergencies.

About the Author: Jerome Chiaro is a Restaurant Owner & Consultant out of Orange County, CA. Don’t train your staff alone! He can help you spend LESS TIME and become MORE EFFECTIVE… Claim your copy of his Free Restaurant Employee Handbook. Success doesn’t happen alone! Join a mastermind of restaurant owners and a wealth of resources, at his Free Restaurant Forms Blog.

Source: isnare.com

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