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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/51774
the Lazy Dog Café's YouTube channel; the best of these are used as training videos at new unit openings. Although not high-tech, the Purple Pig, a Mediterranean one-unit concept in Chicago, has an innovative educational policy. To help staff ers learn the nuances of its wine list, the company allows employees to buy and take home any of its bottles at a 66 percent discount off the list price. Th e unique perk not only creates enthusiasm for the wines that translates to more eff ective selling on the fl oor, but the policy helps with staff retention as well. "Recently, we went a bit more high-tech with some of our training; we developed a handbook and PowerPoint presentations for classroom situations," says Michael Cappon, executive chef at Isabella, a Mediterranean-themed fi ne-dining restaurant in Conshohocken, Penn. Th ose advanced techniques were developed to prime for the recent opening of his company's newest restaurant, the 401 Diner. Th is was necessary because the staff at the diner is larger than at Isabella and there is less time for managers to train staff one on one. "At Isabella," notes the chef, "I have contact with every member of my staff , every day, which aff ords me the face to face time to train the old- fashioned way, hands-on." KEEPING IT PERSONAL AND PASSIONATE "Training is not about technology, it's about people," as store managers, can track each trainee's progress with the LMS (Learning Management System), a software application that facilitates online administration of the program across the company. And with LMS software, it is quick and easy to upload any changes and adjustments chain wide as well. TRAINING GOES HIGH TECH Th e tools and methods used are also becoming more complex and streamlined than they have been in the past. "We're dabbling in new technology, incorporating more of it in our training courses," says Gabriel Caliendo, a principal and vice president of food and beverage, of Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Lazy Dog Café. Th e vice president of the nine-unit chain has begun to videotape proper procedures for plating food and mixing and garnishing cocktails for use as reference tools. Videos and photos will eventually be uploaded to the kitchen display system, with links to the bar and the host station. "If a dish or a drink doesn't look right, staff can go to the video and see it being made the right way," says Caliendo. With digital cameras, the company also turned training into a creative contest: employee teams scripted and recorded procedural skits and posted the results on 42 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 insists Professor Jeff Elsworth, PhD, who teaches restaurant management and entrepreneurship at Michigan State University's School of Hospitality Business. "Training comes down to managers who are coaching, guiding, teaching on a daily basis." Th is is true at the unit level of chains and especially at independents. At Isabella, new, front-of-the-house staff spend the fi rst night of their week-long training in the kitchen where they can observe the processes of ordering and food plating—and chef Cappon can observe them. Th ere is homework and frequent quizzes. During that fi rst week, new employees shadow server- trainers, run food and familiarize themselves with the bar procedures and drink menus. Th e fi rst night of actual service is in a reduced-sized section, with the server-trainer nearby. Good training programs are multi-faceted, encompassing initial employee orientation, a promotional push behind the roll out of new menus, and continuing maintenance of service standards. "Training starts with hiring," asserts Caliendo. Th e Lazy Dog Café generally hires servers with experience, that's especially true for bartenders, because the concept's bar volumes are high. "Beyond experience, though, when I interview, I'm looking for that smile, someone who uses the word 'love' when they talk about food and drink." Upon hiring, new employees undergo an orientation about the company's history and policies, and then are paired up with a trainer for two weeks. Each department has its own trainers, from bartenders to bussers. www.cheersonline.com