In today's increasingly competitive hospitality industry, owners and managers are constantly seeking the answer to an important question - How do you recruit, retain, and motivate the staff who are responsible for creating a "magical" experience that exceeds your guest's expectations?
Some answers may be found by looking to successful companies that are consistently achieving these goals.
William Shakespeare wrote, 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'. One company that has exemplified that quote is the Walt Disney World Co. based in Orlando, Florida.
Disney is easily recognized as a creator of these ‘magical’ experiences. The Disney challenge is to ensure that all of the 36,000 staff members perform their roles in a way that exceeds all expectations.
The Disney approach to people management has given them a reputation of providing a leading benchmark for quality and service in America.
Disney does not just "hire" people for jobs, they "cast" performers for a "role" in the show. The emphasis is on finding 'people oriented' cast members who are willing to adapt to the high standards, and not necessarily on the skill set the applicant may have.
Their 'casting process' introduces each applicant to the culture of the company, and the important role they will play in the future success of the company. This way there are no surprises. This approach helps to maintain turnover at approximately 20%.
Success on the ‘Restaurant Stage’ requires the development and choreography of many different aspects, such as a great cast, script, support and direction.
Quality 'Casting' or recruitment is critical to everything else in the production.
As an owner or manager, you are more director and choreographer of a performance. Your front of house staff, are the actors, and your customers are the audience for whom they must perform.
The supporting crew ensures the script and show are executed as planned. As director, you prepare your cast to recognize guest cues, deliver their lines and improvise when it adds to the enjoyment of the performance.
Think of a typical theatre performance - the audience files in, the curtain goes up; the actors make their entrances and speak their lines. If each and every cast member, not to mention the writer, director, stagehands, customers, makeup artists, and lighting technicians, has prepared themselves and the theatre well, the audience enjoys the show and tells others about it.
However, despite the proven talents of the cast or the presence of an award-winning director or the skills of the backstage crew, the whole thing can be a magnificent flop if just one person fails to do a job on which everyone else depends.
Filling out your service cast with people who can star in their roles is the key to success. But casting for a restaurant show is far more involved and difficult than hiring just anybody to answer a phone, take orders or deliver food.
To get the right kind of people for your own service repertoire, you need to know the attributes of a great cast member. The characteristics you are looking for are: People orientated, enthusiastic, outgoing and full of confidence.
People orientated individuals enjoy entertaining guests and treat customers like they are in a guest in their own home.
Enthusiastic and outgoing individuals love performing for an audience. On the restaurant stage, each night is a performance. Like actors, your cast has lines to rehearse, scenes to orchestrate and props to use.
Confidence is the result of many things. Star performers feel good about themselves because they seek out and enjoy learning new ways to perform their roles to the best of their ability.
Next month... How to attract and select an all star cast.
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