Get rid of ‘em
Eureka Restaurants, a casual-dining concept focused on craft beer and whiskey, takes a team approach to staffing—and got rid of the busser role. Instead of assigning individual jobs (busser, waiter, etc.), front-of-house staff are all referred to as service team members and trained with an “every guest is yours” mentality, on everything from hosting to bussing.
“We want all of our service team members to be able to sell and have knowledge for our guests,” says Robert Suzuki, chief people officer. “Every staff member has to describe products, offer suggestions and ultimately sell.”
Once hired, team members go through multiplatform training to make sure that they are able to provide a knowledgeable experience for guests, as well as maintain the restaurant. “We have an extensive training program for all of our team members that delivers multiple types of learning content,” says Suzuki. The onboarding includes watching videos about the brewers and distilleries Eureka partners with, participating in group activities, and games and more. After working for a few months, team members have to complete an exam.