“Gentlemen, this is a Football”

“Gentlemen, this is a Football”

            If you’re a football fan of a certain age or if you’ve read a biography of the “Hall of Fame” football coach, Vince Lombardi, you’ll recognize the iconic statement in our title.  A little back-story if you’re not familiar, Lombardi took the head coaching position with the Green Bay Packers at a low point (winnings-wise) of the franchise’ history.  He discovered a team that he believed needed to embrace the fundamentals of the game. 

Although a simple game since then both offenses and defenses have evolved into very complex schemes even using the occasional “trick” play.  How this relates to the restaurant industry is simple, to be successful you need to take the sum of all the “simple tasks” within operations that make each shift “complex” and distill them into manageable and teachable segments for managers and staff.

            So how do football skills apply for restaurant operators, we’ll do our best to distill it down for all.  What Lombardi was attempting for his players to grasp was the game boils down to some basic fundamentals that will always apply regardless of jersey color.  No matter the person in the position the responsibilities of each position remain the same so it’s up to the “training” of each player / staff member to execute to the best of their abilities.

            So it’s down to the “T-word”, training and not only the quality of that training but the scope and level to which operators desire staff to appropriately provide service to the guest.  As suggested by Jim Sullivan in a recent trade article (NRN, 8/18/17) today’s training of both front line staff and managers must fit the needs of the service expectations of today’s guests.  Staff must be able to “think on their feet”, not just respond to some rote-style of training that had its’ origins in a “tell, show, do and review” process better suited for an assembly-line position than a situation where staff must articulate answers and reactions to guests questions. 

            The recommendation to “train ahead of the need” is exactly how operators should approach their training programs. It addresses the need for ownership to do what they should in the first place, keeping a watch on the external changes within the market to better react to the cause and effect that will eventually come down the road.  As previously suggested here, operators should take note of how “demographic shift” will change the expectations of the dining public (TMS Blog, Nov-2016). 

            Today’s dining guests are far more sophisticated due to the sheer volume of online cooking video’s, cable food shows and cultural exchanges that almost always include how place affects exposure to food customs. This would suggest a global approach to food which most people understand today so why not upgrade food service training as well?  Knowing the proper manner to handle a French knife and its’ use are just as important in the execution of that training.  That’s the difference between using the knife to chop vegetables versus opening a #10 can, simple huh?

            Restaurant operations is a “BUSY” occupation, no doubt nor argument.  Owners and operators need the support of others on their team to be that “forward-looking” scout for trend change.  This will allow them to prepare for the next set of training challenges and more adequately address guests’ demands.  Should you need an outside look for that essential scouting, an assessment of your training program, or other “blocking and tackling” support contact us at www.themenuspring.com.