Why A Good Staff Meal Could Keep Employees Longer

One of the best things about working at a restaurant, is a good Staff meal or “Family Dinner”. There is always something special about sitting down with your friends and coworkers, but in the restaurant environment it can be an extra special event. There are many benefits of a good staff meal, including helping to keep Employees longer.

Inspiration

For some restaurants the staff meal is merely a routine of feeding employee’s leftovers and for others it is a time for inspiration. It is a fantastic opportunity to allow Chefs, young and old to get creative. Allow them to get creative and try to impress the staff by letting them try new recipes.

Turn the staff meal into a time to feed your employees creativity and you may find the inspiration contagious. It can really be a great time for Junior Chefs to get some experience on traditional menu items as well, but some of the greatest inspirations will come from your seasoned Chefs trying out new things to impress the staff. This can feed into a positive working environment and even produce some new menu items.

Appreciation

A good restaurant staff meal can be an excellent way to show appreciation for your employees and that will help to build loyalty. Loyalty in the restaurant industry is hard to find and turnover of employees is high, so a premium should be put on it. People feel good about their jobs when they feel appreciated and this can make them more productive and loyal.

Motivation

Showing appreciation to your staff with a good staff meal will motivate them as well. People who feel like the company they work for cares for them are motivated to show up to work more, work harder and do a better job. When they feel like they are cared about, they will care more about their job as well. They will also care more about the people they work with and the customers that come in.

Many people struggle to find motivation to go to work. They are disgruntled and don’t enjoy what they do. Changing their attitude by having a good staff meal, will be a miracle for them. Employees really build bonds and strengthen their relationships with each other during staff meals.

Team Building

Restaurant staff meals do much more than provide a free meal for employees, it really builds and strengthens the bonds between everyone. It brings them together, and that is why they call it a family meal at many restaurants. It builds bonds, sometimes as strong as family.

A lot of people have stronger friendships and relationships with the people they work with, than they do with their own families. How is this? Because they often see their coworkers more and they bond by fire. Their bonds are built upon shared experiences. When the employees can share these experiences with each other over a meal, it strengthens their bond to each other and to the restaurant.

Staff Retention

All of the factors above lead to superior staff retention. Sharing a meal with coworkers, especially when it is a creative outlet for them to share ideas, is a powerfully motivating experience. All the world over, bonds and relationships are getting created over meals. People sitting and eating with one another has historically been a method of bringing people together. After a wedding, the families come together and share a meal.

Bring your employees together with a good staff meal. You will see the bond build and grow. You will see how your staff responds and is more motivated. The fact is you will most likely bond with them as well. You will find inspiration and motivation just as they do, and you will see first hand how this family meal strengthens your team and helps to keep employees longer.