Clarify channels of communication
On an employee’s first day at Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque—a fast-casual chain with locations in New York City, New Jersey, Taiwan and the Philippines—they meet every team member in the store. The workers share their full name and role with the onboarding recruits. “We make sure they know where they can get help from,” says co-founder Christos Gourmos.
At Boston restaurants Eastern Standard, The Hawthorne and Branch Line, back-of-house staff have a point person they can go to for any concerns. The restaurant group’s back-of-house coordinator, who also speaks Spanish, advocates for these individuals. “It’s been an incredible asset to talk to some of the cooks in their primary language,” says Molly Hopper Sandrof, director of people for the group. “They know he is someone they can go to when they need things.”