Training Articles (formerly Member Blog)

Happy New Year! The change of a calendar year invites celebration, reflection, and big plans for the year ahead. Recently, at the CHART Regional Training Forum (RTF) in Minneapolis, our guest speaker Vikas Narula, Creator and Co-Founder of Keyhubs, spoke on the power of networks on success in change initiatives and influence. As a result, one of my personal New Year’s resolutions is to be intentional about further expanding my networks, seeking diversity of thought, and synergy in ideas.

One hundred ten percent. Question: Is that number a) the amount of effort every pro athlete expends for their team or b) the average hourly employee turnover in the foodservice industry every year, according to TDn2K's People Report data? The wretched answer is: b). And it’s time we address this crisis head-on before the Gen Z labor pool passes the foodservice industry by like so many silos on a Wisconsin road trip.

Recently, CHART Past President Dr. Mike Hampton from Florida International University hosted a leader’s panel to “share insights on how we need to align higher education with the evolving needs of the industry brought about by the massive transformations taking place in global economies, markets, technologies, environment and other macro factors.” What an ambitious goal!

Add legs to your training effectiveness by utilizing simple, inexpensive ways to create "what is needed, where it’s needed, when it’s needed.” Gone are the days of the 3-inch training binders we had hoped new employees would read at least once. We now need to look at how employees are getting their information and use that technology to train and continually re-train them. During my CHART Talks session in Charleston, I shared the new app we created to engage our employees and share our culture. We put information, including our training videos, on the app so they can watch and learn in the palm of their hands. View my 9-minute video and get your entire team on the same page.

When I got my start in the world of hospitality training back in 1999, I was given a very tight budget in my role as Ivar’s Training Manager. For the different workshops I was tasked with creating, for example, the company would pay for the attendees’ time in the session, and I could use one of our banquet rooms without being charged, but those were the only costs that were covered. Everything else, including training props, flipcharts and easels, prizes, and snacks, were not included, so I either had to 1) pay for them myself, or 2) rely heavily on whatever free stuff I could get my hands on…and eventually I became pretty good at the latter option.

As September came to an end, the back-to-school season welcomed a new group of students to each class, and a future group of employees to our workforce. The hospitality industry has been and remains a bellwether of employment trends to come. As I reflect on the “back to school” season, I realize that I am fascinated by 6th graders.

For many of us, there are certain words or phrases that we find truly annoying – I don’t mean anything explicit or controversial, but rather ordinary things that bother us more than they should. Sometimes it’s because these words have been really overused (“break the internet”), sometimes it’s because they trigger unpleasant memories (almost anything that makes us think about junior high), and sometimes we just don’t like the sound they make when running across our lips (“moist”).

According to a 2014 report by TDn2K and the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, 28% of hourly employees in restaurants are Hispanic. Spanish is the primary language for many of these workers, but quite often training materials are only provided in English. In order to properly prepare Spanish-speaking employees to work in a restaurant environment, it’s important to offer training in Spanish.

Does your body language properly reflect the message you are trying to communicate? Thankfully, I had a boss who trained me on how I could better impact guest relations just by adjusting my posture. Since face-to-face is still the main form of communciation, I wanted to share some examples you could use yourself and with your team so everyone is putting their best foot forward. Watch my 12-minute video from my CHART Talks session in Charleston as I offer some tips, with lots of visual examples, on eye contact, safe distance, standing in the elevator, and the important 'belly button and feet rules'.

Early in my career, I learned something which has been extremely valuable as I have moved up the ladder. In order to have a successful relationship with your boss, there are several steps you need to take. Watch my 7 minute video to better manage your boss and make him/her shine.

Returning from CHART’s recent conference in beautiful Charleston, I was reminded in conversations with CHART past-presidents that hospitality training professionals don’t get paid for what we know. We get paid for what we do with what we know.

At each of the sixteen CHART conferences I have attended, I have always brought back several nuggets of great information to implement at our company in NH. Ideas which make us stronger or more efficient. Ah-ha moments where a light will shine on how this idea can work for our team, and help us to achieve that WOW experience for our guests. Recently, while I was at a conference I had a profound revelation while listening to our speaker.