Restaurants have long depended on operational processes running like a well-oiled machine to keep service seamless for customers. The pressures have reached an apex as current labor challenges leave many restaurants with skeleton staffs. On a national scale, eating and drinking businesses remain about 750,000 jobs—or 6.1%—below their February 2020 pre-pandemic employment peak, and the quitting rate continues to outpace the hiring rate for restaurant employees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Especially as restaurant staffs are spread thin managing additional responsibilities and tending to multiple service channels (including on- and off-premise sales), it’s important that operators empower their employees to focus on the human element of customer service—which means to automating other tasks where possible.
Quality customer service
Operational delays can undercut customer satisfaction on multiple levels. Not only can diners be frustrated by slower service, but the stress of facing obstacles behind the scenes can impede employees’ ability to provide the most personable service possible. Inversely, improving efficiency not only helps restaurant workers provide faster service, but also focus more on customer-facing duties and create a great dining experience overall.
Overworked employees who have faced these challenges firsthand say that new restaurant technologies could help increase efficiency—decreasing stress levels and creating a more manageable workload.
Competing for talent
Of course, improving conditions for existing talent is only part of the equation. Understaffed restaurants face stiff competition for hiring new employees—not just among other foodservice operations, but other industries, too. While only 13% of restaurant operators believe they are losing employees to other industries, Technomic’s Roadblock to Recovery report underscores a greater pull than many operators recognize.
To stand out among prospective employers, it’s important for operators to pay attention to employees’ priorities. For example, restaurant employees cite fairness and transparency as important factors to encouraging staff retention. This is essential to consider on a management level—and especially important when it comes to tip distribution.
TipHaus, a digital tool for restaurants, brings efficiency, transparency and accuracy to the tip distribution process. TipHaus reports that its software saves two minutes of labor per employee, per shift, and approximately 20 hours of managerial work each month. The savings are huge, averaging $1,000 a month—not to mention prevention of costly legal complications that can come with incorrect tip allocation. In addition, restaurant staff can get their tips faster and with confidence that they’re receiving all that they’ve earned.
For hiring new employees and retaining current staff, tip transparency can go a long way. Learn more about solutions from TipHaus at www.tiphaus.com.
This post is sponsored by TipHaus