2001 Top 100 Independent Restaurants
For leading independent operators, an investment in training yields rich returns.

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor and Allison Perlik, Associate Editor

Training is an investment for the future, the only foundation on which success can be built. Despite technology's great leaps forward, today's training is people-focused, according to Restaurants and Institutions' Top 100 independent restaurants. Operators rely on technology to crunch numbers, hone operations, tighten belts and maximize productivity. Trainers return to face- to-face interchange, which reflects the soul of the hospitality industry.

Examples abound. Training is behind server's permission at Gibsons steakhouse in Chicago to offer a free dessert without asking a floor manager. Training is checking the staff smile quotient daily at Taste of Texas in Dallas. Training enables employees to swap shifts at Wente Vineyards Restaurant in Livermore, Calif. without disruption. Orchestrating harmony among a staff made up of diverse personalities and talents results from training.

Ultimately, training delivers excellence in product and performance. It transforms eating into dining and is key to elevating an operation from good to great. There are many ways to achieve that end, as demonstrated by the performance of R&I's Top 100 independents.

BACK TO BASICS

At Taste of Texas, co-owner Nina Hendee trains the old-fashioned way, hands on. Though she admits to spoiling the 210 employees, she also cracks the whip. There are no training videos, just face-to-face learning. Employees who are attending school must maintain at least a B average or explain to Hendee why grades have fallen. Everyone is encouraged to go to college.

"They can choose to be a lifetime waiter if they want, but first, get a degree,'' she says. "This job should be a stepping stone for the next career, not the career."

Great grades earn bonuses at Taste of Texas, while exemplary productivity can merit gifts, such as a night on the town with limo service. Managers can earn trips to Mexico, Paris or London.

Newcomers undergo a formal, six-day training period with a partner. Thirteen managers do evaluations. Besides knowing the service manual, new hires are expected to be conversant with the history of the restaurant.

Training is ongoing. Finding employees with experience, a prerequisite to working there, is never a problem, according to Hendee. Salaries, tips, career advancement and benefits are tops at the 23-year-old restaurant.

Taste of Texas enforces its "smile or die" motto at daily staff meetings. Hendee checks the facial expression of anyone going on the floor; the same goes for nametags and uniforms for the 63-member kitchen staff.

She trains employees to be good citizens as well as good hospitality industry workers. "Waiting tables is not what you want your staff to do for the rest of their lives,'' adds Hendee. "But they can always come back.''

IN THE FAMILY

Consistency of training is a fact of life at Joe's Stone Crab in Miami because turnover is minimal. Most of the 80 staffers have been with the restaurant for years. There is no training manual, and everyone is cross-trained. Business is so brisk during the seven months the restaurant is open (when stone crabs are in season) that the veteran staff earns good tips, explains General Manager Brian Johnson, who started at Joe's in 1980 as a server. "Everyone knows each other, and we keep in touch during off-season through relatives, friends and a newsletter. If someone leaves, the position is usually filled by someone we're familiar with. This restaurant is family-owned, and that's how we run it.''

Finding eager, seasoned employees is never a problem for Gibsons and Hugo's Frog Bar in Chicago, says David Terry, director of training for the sibling operations. "They're standing in line to work here. They get good tips, benefits and the business is fast-paced."

Training servers is about allowing them to give the guest whatever is wanted, says Terry. The approach is identical for Gibsons and Hugo's. Servers are encouraged to make decisions on the spot, with no need to consult a floor manager to offer a glass of wine or extra dessert.

"We hire people with big personalities who will add something to the room. We don't hire order-takers,'' Terry says.

Upselling to boost checks is forbidden. Servers are urged to make a guest comfortable enough to order tap water or a house vodka and split an entrée.

"We want servers to own their sections and take responsibility for three tables and 12 seats,'' says Terry. "Giving each a sense of empowerment and ownership produces good morale. It reflects in the caliber of service and mood of the dining room." Wait staff at 12-year-old Gibsons is generally late 30s and 40s. The staff at Hugo's, a more casual four-year old restaurant next door, is younger, 20-ish.

"Good training enables us to grow a concept without losing the spirit of the original,'' adds Terry. When a second Gibsons opened last April in Rosemont, a suburb of Chicago, employees from both locations swapped positions for a few days, giving each the opportunity to experience the new and the old.

TRAINING AS SPORT

One training innovator, Harry Caray's Restaurant in Chicago, launched a comprehensive exam covering menu items, wine list and company information. It is part of the restaurant's philosophy of continuing education, including daily pop quizzes designed to sharpen everyone's skills. Managers also undergo a written exam.

"I get input from the staff on how we can improve [training]. They're the ones who are actually doing it," says Grant DePorter, managing partner. "The critique of someone we put through a training program is important to keep it current and fresh."

One technique appeals to employees' sense of competition. Each server performs a one-minute, videotaped presentation of the restaurant's steak tray, describing the cuts of meat to customers. DePorter and staff review each tape with the servers, correcting mistakes and noting positive points. The server with the best presentation wins $500. The restaurant then updates the training script based on that video. A similar approach is applied to dessert presentation.

Asking for staff input in training fosters a team spirit. At Levy Restaurants' Fulton's Crab House in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the wait staff is expected to recognize and describe fish and flavor profiles to customers. A competition called "The Codfather" ups the learning curve. Each month, eight to 10 servers are served six different 2-ounce portions of fish, which they must identify. The winner earns the title of "Codfather of the Month."

"We have 70 servers, so about twice a year everyone gets the opportunity to go through this program," says Joe White, managing partner and director of operations. "It's a fun way to teach and learn.''

Such training motivates employees and stimulates confident selling. It also maximizes retention at Fulton's Crab House and Portobello Yacht Club, Levy Restaurants' other property in the Downtown Disney complex, according to management.

INVEST IN THE FUTURE

Levy's "Keys to the Future" program identifies hourly employees who have an interest in developing a career with the company. The 27-week course has three segments: front of house, back of house and management/administrative. Each student chooses a mentor from management. They meet once a week to review job responsibilities, homework, progress and corporate philosophies. A weekly test is given.

White estimates that "Keys" graduates comprise about 30% of the management staff. "We joke about it and call it the corporate circle of life, because graduates are mentoring new 'Keys' employees, and then they are mentoring new employees, and so on," he says.

Back-of-the-house staff requires cross-training training, too, and San Francisco-based Next Century Restaurants doesn't neglect them. Executive Chef/co-owner Michael Mina puts cooks through a training program that stops at every station. A successful trainee has the skills to apply for the position of sous-chef at any of the company's five locations, including its upscale fish house, Aqua, in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

"We promote from within. The ones with the capability and capacity to run a restaurant become chefs in our restaurants.'' But, he adds, "Nine out of 10 aren't going to get through it.''

TOILING IN THE VINEYARDS

Lillian Steinle, a former trainer in the hotel industry, took a break seven years ago and accepted a position as server at Wente Vineyards Restaurant in Livermore, Calif. The mother of three's stint in the dining room lasted three years before she was asked by management to run the restaurant. The training program she honed for 130 foodservice employees is greatly influenced by what she learns from them (and what she learned front of house).

"If you want to know how to change or improve things, don't ask a middle manager. Ask the people on the front line,'' says Steinle, whose insights and advice enrich the 200-page training manual she updated for the Wente family. Frequent communication with employees and constant evaluation of training ensures consistent service at the 300-seat restaurant, open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

New hires go through a standardized 30-day, hands-on training program that begins with polishing silver and folding napkins in the kitchen. After two days and with approval of the trainer, they move on to expediting, prep-cook line, bussing, serving and bartending. Such training is done to expose everyone to the dynamics of the restaurants, from prep cook to hosting.

Matriculation depends on the trainer's performance reviews and daily verbal quizzes. Training time at each position is usually two days, but that is flexible. Daily evaluation catches misinformation before it becomes habit.

Recruitment at Wente is by word of mouth, and staff includes many siblings and relatives. TIts family-owned atmosphere and the opportunity for servers to earn $150 a day and up are draws.

Cross-training fosters a spirit of teamwork, says Steinle. Every month, employees are asked to create their ideal work schedules and negotiate requests in advance of the master schedule. "Once the work schedule is posted, it is up to every employee to fill his job. They are allowed to switch shifts, but every shift must be covered. Giving flexibility results in a positive attitude and good morale,'' she adds. "A bad mood doesn't work in the dining room.''

Emphasizing performance over seniority encourages go-getters and keeps veterans sharp. It creates energy, everyone stays on schedule and you get better results. "This way, I appeal to the egos of good servers. They're proud of their work.''

Four times a year Steinle organizes a mandatory half-day employee update and training session. Company agendas are discussed, problems are voiced; it promotes exchange. The format changes constantly. An upcoming session will focus on body language and how to read guests with whom employees will role-play. "It's fun and entertaining. It's the best way to teach and learn.''

THE LANGUAGE OF SERVICE

Good communication among staff is essential to providing the highest level of customer service, yet it's not uncommon in foodservice operations to have many staffers for whom English is a second language. Encouraging employees to be bilingual facilitates communications, and that can mean better service.

At St. Elmo's Steak House, employees are encouraged to learn a second language. Management offers Spanish lessons free to interested employees. The program, launched in January, attracted 15 employees to the 16-week course.

"We have quite a few bilingual employees already," says Clifford. "A lot of our bus staff is Hispanic. This will help communications on the floor between waiters and busboys, and back-of-the-house employees.''

With programs such as this, the Top 100 independent restaurants are testament that a commitment to training is the cornerstone of success.