Frontsummit.com -> News -> Times are Changing
 

Times are Changing

With the economy in a state of flux, every dining establishment is rethinking about how to come out on top when the smoke clears. These tough times and stingy dollars demand that the dining industry find ways to stand out. 

 

"What worked yesterday isn't going to work tomorrow," Doug Brooks, CEO of Brinker International, parent to Chili's told USA Today. He's in the midst of reinventing Chili's with new décor and menus, along with technology for the service.

 

One way to boost public perceptions and get customers to visit your establishment over another is to improve the service. Slow service and discourteous, untrained staff have given casual dining a black eye.

Besides testing new, handheld devices that connect the front desk and servers to the kitchen, Chili’s is also testing new ways to screen potential employees. Instead of managers hiring by instinct, it's testing applicants with skill questions. As a result, the turnover rate is down 25%.

 

“FrontSUMMIT’s online testing and related courses provide employers the ability to quickly understand if a potential employee is ready to be on the floor from day one or if the candidate needs additional training,” says Bernard Martinage, President of the Federation of Dining Room Professional, FDRP.

Consider this: Portion controls, limiting product selections and price reductions all take away—in some form–from the product delivered.

 

Why not boost the service quality and improve employee selection & credentialing for less than the cost of changing the menu? Doing so brings additional value to the customer experience and, therefore, the entire establishment.