World Cup Playbook for Restaurant Staff Support

The anticipated rush of guests from the World Cup games represents a huge opportunity for restaurant operators as well as a huge risk for those without the right approach, Growth Strategist Dave Garrison, author of The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Stop Caring―and How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Give Their All, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. The opportunity is to get a team working as one unit to quickly and effectively process orders, generate upsell opportunities, and create great customer experiences, while the risk is that team members get burned out from the pressure and quit at the exact wrong times. 

“There's a significant cost to having employees spending time training during the games, as opposed to serving customers. The games are when you need your team to focus on customers, not training. It’s worth the investment of time up front to build buy-in so that you’re not stuck in a cycle of reacting and putting out fires. Great operators know that employee buy-in creates great customer experience and reduces stress for all team members.”

Create Buy-Ins with Your Team

Operators who create buy-in ahead of time will have a team that creates great customer experiences, Garrison says. One of the first things operators can do to prepare is to recognize team members as individuals by asking them about their experience and what they think could be improved, he recommends, as even the act of authentically asking the question lets them know you care about them even if they don’t have a suggestion. Next, share the compelling purpose of the restaurant and ask them how they could contribute and what could get in the way. Listen thoughtfully to the answers and ask clarifying questions. 

“Sometimes we hear operators say ‘I don’t have time for this’ or ‘they won’t know anything.’ Those are the operators who will waste their time focusing on panic hiring and training when the rush comes. These two simple steps will separate you from most businesses and generate less “whatever” and more ‘let’s do this!’ from your team.”

Buy-in begins with the first interview, Garrison said, because it’s when you and the potential employee have the opportunity to ensure there is an alignment with your purpose. 

“If the focus is just on ‘who can handle the workload’you risk missing out on employees who will be truly committed. The people who are excited by our purpose and in line with our values are the ones that are more likely to remain committed when the inevitable challenges come up.”

Ask interview questions that will draw out their response to your values, and pay attention to their reactions, he suggested. For example, if you’re committed to hospitality, ask the applicant about a time they were made to feel welcome at a business. What was that experience like? Ask about a time in their life they made others feel welcome. 

Build and Reward Your Team

The World Cup is a once in a lifetime chance to embrace the energy of the event and bring the team together as one, Garrison added. 

“As leaders, most of us have been trained to have the answers. In working with hospitality companies of all sizes, we have learned that leaders are much more effective when they choose a ‘done with’ approach rather than ‘done to.’ So it’s up to leaders to get employee input into how they want to incorporate the World Cup energy into their day-to-day.”

Start by setting clear criteria for the types of ideas that can be supported. For instance, any new tactics must stay within budget, promote team building, align with company values, and never interfere with customer service. Once parameters are established, invite team members to share creative suggestions, such as event themes, friendly competitions, sales gamification, or new recognition contests.

“For example, at Raising Cane’s they create a fun team environment by using humor, on the spot encouragement and appreciation to keep the “one love” vibe even at the busiest times. At Dutch Bros. they provide cool clothing that team members can wear at work and in their daily lives.”

While cash incentives are always important, recognition and rewards in the form of team experiences often goes further, Garrison said because recognition coming from co-workers has more credibility than being recognized by supervisors. Team rewards might be tickets for a fun day at a local amusement park, vouchers for a local club or spiffing a group dinner at a restaurant of their choice. 

Providing Resources to Prevent Burnout

There are three important antidotes to burnout: validation, offering support, and recognition, Garrison pointed out. 

Ask each team member about their experience and If they say “fine,” respond by assuring them that you really want to know their answer, he suggested. Once they respond, validate their experience, no matter what it may be. This sounds like “I can imagine with what you’ve described, I might feel the same way as you do.” 

Find out how you can better support their experience, Garrison said. You can do that by asking, “How can I support you in your role? What do you see that is working or not working about how work gets done here?” 

“These simple questions can go a long way in gaining their perspective, while making them feel heard, all while finding ways to improve your overall results.”

Be sure to take a moment to recognize your team’s contributions. 

“I’m not talking about  ‘rah rah’ – this is about catching people and teams doing well and calling it out through social media posts, WhatsApp groups, your backroom bulletin board or in team meetings,” Garrison said. “Recognizing financial results for the company overall is not meaningful to most team members. Instead, find ways to recognize activities that support your values or purpose, which often feel more meaningful.”

Garrison noted that Titan Brands, a restaurant group in Las Vegas utilized a wellness check-in for every team member using a digital survey. It allows team members to indicate how they’re feeling and why several times a week. If the response is below a certain level, their supervisor gets an automatic notification so they can connect with the employee as human beings. 

“This approach not only creates a culture of understanding and open communication, but helps maintain employee buy-in.”

While it’s inevitable that problems and challenges will arise with the rush of business from the World Cup games, it is a great opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to the team by asking them to help solve issues, Garrison said.

“It’s a pretty simple process. Be specific about the issue to be solved and let them know the constraints or criteria a great solution will contain. Put it in writing on a bulletin board or in a text ahead of time and ask people for their ideas. Select the best one. Then thank everyone for sharing ideas and call out what is being implemented. When people know their voice was heard they will support the solution even if it's not their idea!”