Improve Your Restaurant Culture with Sling by Toast

[ Improve Your Restaurant Culture with Sling by Toast

Improve Your Restaurant Culture with Sling by Toast

Want to improve what your team members do, what they say, how they behave, and how they treat others (coworkers and customers alike)? Build a strong restaurant culture.

In this article, the management experts at Sling show you how to enhance your restaurant culture in order to bring your employees together as a team and make your business run smoother.

What is Restaurant Culture?

In order to understand restaurant culture, you first need to step back and look at the broad definition of company culture (a.k.a. organizational culture). That general, textbook definition is:

The behavior within an organization and the meaning that people attach to that behavior.

When you zoom in and identify the fundamental factors that contribute to the behavior within an organization, the whole idea begins to make more sense. Those fundamental factors include:

Company vision
Company mission
Organizational strategy
Values
Norms
Systems
Symbols
Language
Assumptions
Beliefs
Habits

When you understand that these aspects of your business influence the culture therein, you can begin to implement small improvements — to vision, values, language, habits, etc. — that send ripples throughout your company.

Why Restaurant Culture Matters

Restaurant culture matters because it’s the “everyday life” of your team and your business as a whole.

From your employees’ point-of-view, restaurant culture is the atmosphere and dynamic they experience with their coworkers, supervisors, and managers.

When your employees feel comfortable within your restaurant culture, they are more likely to enjoy their time at work, develop better relationships, and be more productive.

If, on the other hand, your employees don’t feel comfortable within your restaurant culture, they are far less likely to enjoy their time at work. As a result, their relationships and productivity will suffer.

Restaurant culture even affects your customers. The behaviors your team members exhibit grow directly from whether they’re happy with the culture or not.

A disgruntled employee can unknowingly poison the customer experience and drive satisfaction down. That, then, affects your bottom line and the success of your business.

How to Build a Strong Restaurant Culture

1) Emphasize Ethics

The concept of ethics in your business is one of the least visible components of your restaurant culture. But, when done right, ethics have far-reaching effects that manifest in every corner of your company.

Ethics include such behaviors as:

Trustworthiness
Courteousness
Accountability
Honesty
Excellence
Cooperation
Competency
Morality

When you emphasize ethics as an underlying principle, you have a profound impact on your restaurant culture by improving the way your team members act toward each other and your customers.

2) Refine Your Vision and Mission Statements

A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s objectives intended to guide internal decision-making. A mission statement is a short description of what your company does for its customers, its employees, and its owners.

When you fully refine your vision and mission statements, they inform your team members as to what your business is all about. This information guides them in their behavior and lays the foundation for a strong restaurant culture.

3) Establish an Organizational Strategy

Organizational strategy is a plan that specifies how your business will allocate resources to support infrastructure, production, marketing, inventory, and other business activities.

With these strategies in place, you give your business direction and priorities, which then influence culture.

4) Define Culture in Your Employee Handbook

Your employee handbook is a resource that tells team members what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. Adding a section that defines your company’s culture is an effective way to state directly a business aspect that often goes unspoken.

5) Build a Sense of Purpose

Whether you’re creating a restaurant culture from scratch or trying to improve an existing culture, building a sense of purpose for your team can go a long way toward making either of those goals a reality.

Understand the “why” of your operation to help find the right purpose that leads to a strong culture.

6) Define Values and Standards

Take the time to define the principles that underlie the restaurant culture you want to achieve and include them in your employee handbook. This step helps specify the actions you're going to take to fulfill your overarching strategy.

7) Create a Code of Conduct

A code of conduct is a set of rules that guides behavior in your business and provides a framework for ethical decision-making. As your organization grows, each of these points can help improve and strengthen your company culture.

8) Lead by Example

If you want your team to support the culture you’re trying to build, you must lead by example and support the culture yourself.

9) Be Honest

Honesty is one of the cornerstones of strong and productive business culture. Make honesty a principle in your interactions to foster trust and improve business operations.

10) Communicate

Effective communication adjusts what and how you say it to ensure message comprehension. Enhance your team’s communication to support the culture you’re building and improve business operations.

11) Assess Your Restaurant Culture Annually

At least once a year, assess your restaurant culture to see if it’s changed. Make necessary adjustments to ensure your culture remains positive and productive.

12) Set Goals for the Culture Itself

Just like any other business objective, be specific about your goals for improving company culture. Use the techniques from this list to achieve those goals.

13) Identify Personality Types

Identify different personality types in your team to tailor your culture-building techniques. This approach helps align the company culture with employees' natural dispositions.

14) Focus on Diversity

Hiring a diverse team brings unique perspectives, which can strengthen your company culture from both internal and external viewpoints.

15) Foster Inclusion

Inclusivity ensures all team members feel welcome, safe, and valued. This approach enhances participation and adherence to the company culture, ultimately benefiting the business.

Create a Positive Culture Through Scheduling

If you want to create a positive culture in your restaurant, use Sling to create the perfect work schedule for your team. Sling simplifies and streamlines every aspect of the scheduling process, giving you more time to focus on building and maintaining a happy, healthy, and productive culture.

The Sling app is free, easy to use, and will help you spend your time more efficiently so you can concentrate on building the intangible aspects of your team — like company culture, your management style, and your business as a whole.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.

]

May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

Handling Scheduling Conflicts: Expert Tips and Strategies

[```html Handling Scheduling Conflicts: Expert Tips and Strategies

Handling Scheduling Conflicts: Expert Tips and Strategies

Scheduling conflicts are an inevitable part of managing a team and a business. But you can put policies in place to handle these conflicts when they arise and even take steps to prevent them from happening in the first place. Learn how in this article.

Here’s What We’ll Discuss:

Benefits of handling scheduling conflicts correctly
Common scheduling conflicts
Tips for handling scheduling conflicts

Benefits of Handling Scheduling Conflicts Correctly

Scheduling conflicts will happen. It’s just a fact of trying to coordinate a team with many different responsibilities. However, handling them correctly comes with benefits that can go a long way toward building a strong sense of team and company culture.

Builds Confidence

When you keep a level head and work through the problem, those who are watching may develop confidence in your abilities as a manager.

Boosts Morale

When your team sees that you care about them and want to resolve scheduling conflicts for the benefit of everyone involved, they may experience a boost in morale.

Ensures Employee Well-Being

Maintaining employee well-being is a big part of what keeps them happy, engaged, and motivated while at work.

Increases Productivity

Team members who feel that you really listen to them and respect their wishes can be more productive on the job.

Common Scheduling Conflicts

Scheduling conflicts are events that create problems for the efficient and productive flow of your team’s workday. These conflicts typically fall into three broad categories:

Conflicts caused by customers or clients
Conflicts caused by mistakes in the schedule itself
Conflicts caused by unforeseen personal needs

Double Bookings

This scheduling conflict occurs when you accidentally schedule one employee to work in two places, or with two different responsibilities, at the same time.

Overlapping Events

Overlapping events occur when two tasks, or two shifts within the workday, start and end within the same period of time.

Booking an Unavailable Time Slot

Depending on the type of schedule your business maintains, booking an unavailable time slot may not be something you have to worry about.

Booking an Unavailable Team Member

This scheduling conflict occurs when you assign someone to work on a day that they’ve already been given permission to take off.

Last-Minute Employee Cancellation

Last-minute employee cancellations are the most common. These happen when an employee fails to show up for work or calls in to tell you that they can’t make it for whatever reason.

Unbalanced Shift Distribution

This type of scheduling issue is typically the result of two influences: An unconscious thought process of what you think about your employees and the desire to satisfy business needs.

Unofficial Rescheduling

After you release the schedule, some employees might trade shifts to create a better work-life balance for themselves.

Tips for Handling Scheduling Conflicts

Publish the Schedule Well in Advance

To help avoid scheduling conflicts, publish the first draft of your staff rota well in advance so that you and your employees have time to plan your personal lives around the work schedule and make the needed changes when activities conflict.

Make the Schedule Available Anywhere, Anytime

Scheduling conflicts often occur because employees don’t have access to the schedule when they’re making plans outside of work. With modern workforce management software, however, you can store frequently-used team documents in the cloud where employees can access them anywhere, anytime.

Allow Employees to Self-Schedule

A simple and effective way to prevent scheduling conflicts is to allow your employees to self-schedule.

Take Advantage of Automation

Advanced workforce management software helps you handle and prevent scheduling conflicts by automating a large portion of the process.

Make Employees Responsible for Finding Substitutes

Giving your employees the responsibility for finding a substitute to cover a shift they can’t work is a great way to handle scheduling conflicts that arise because a team member has to attend to an emergency outside of work.

Build an Availability Chart

Building an availability chart for those times when an employee can’t find their own substitute is an easy and effective way to handle scheduling conflicts.

Create a Backup for Your Backup

Set up a list of former employees, part-time team members, and prospective employees who interviewed but didn’t get hired as a backup to your backup.

Build Shifts Around Your Most Consistent Employees

You can work to prevent scheduling conflicts by building your staff rota around your most consistent employees.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

Effective and efficient communication is vital for the smooth operation of your team and your business.

Stay Calm

Scheduling conflicts are going to happen — no matter how hard you try and how much you prepare. The best way to handle the situation is to stay calm and just start searching for a solution.

Learn from Your Mistakes

Every scheduling issue is a chance to learn something new about yourself and the inner workings of your team and your business. Take time to examine the process and understand the causes of the conflicts that your team is experiencing.

Prevent Scheduling Conflicts with Sling

One of the best ways to prevent scheduling conflicts from throwing a monkey wrench in your workflow is to use workforce management software, like Sling. The Sling suite of tools makes it possible — and extremely easy — for teams of all sizes to access the schedule anywhere and anytime, self-schedule when necessary, take advantage of automation, communicate freely, and find substitutes with a few clicks or taps.

For more free resources to help you manage your business, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.

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May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

Increase Employee Happiness with These Practical Tips from Sling by Toast

[ Boost Employee Happiness with These Strategies

Sling is now Sling by Toast! Learn more

Why Employee Happiness Matters

No one wants to work in a sad, depressing, oppressive environment. That’s just a recipe for disaster and failure.

Employee happiness matters because team members who feel good while at work are:

More engaged
More productive
More creative
More likely to treat customers with respect
Less likely to look elsewhere for fulfillment
More inclined to give 100% at all times

It’s easy to see how training your employees to be happy at work can pay very real dividends to your business as a whole.

Ways to Increase Employee Happiness

1) Survey Your Team

One of the best and easiest ways to start your business on the path to better employee happiness is to ask your team members about it directly. And the best way to do that is to administer an employee satisfaction survey.

An employee satisfaction survey gives you insight into how your team feels about their day-to-day activities and other key aspects of your business. Think of it as the foundation of a happy team.

2) Give Them the Tools They Need to Do the Job Right

There are few things more frustrating — and a bigger hit to employee happiness — than not having the tools to do your job effectively and efficiently. So, make sure your team has the tools they need to do the job right.

3) Give Your Employees Autonomy

Employee happiness depends, in large part, on being free to try novel approaches to common problems. To encourage this freedom, give your employees plenty of room to work.

Giving your employees autonomy proves that you trust their abilities. That sense of trust then helps them feel happier while at work.

4) Recognize Work Well Done

Another powerful way to increase employee happiness is to recognize work well done whenever it occurs. It doesn’t have to be a grand, expensive gesture. Small rewards more frequently go a long way toward improving happiness, satisfaction, and engagement.

5) Promote Inclusivity

Another powerful way to improve employee happiness is to promote inclusivity. Workplace inclusivity ensures that everyone:

Has equal access to the same resources and opportunities
Is treated fairly and respectfully
Can and wants to contribute fully to their success, the team’s success, and the business’s success

When you develop inclusivity by making everyone feel like a valuable member of the team, you lay the groundwork for their overall happiness to grow and improve as well.

6) Create Standard Operating Procedures

Guidelines and standard operating procedures are the foundation on which your team — and your business — operates. They also have a direct effect on employee happiness. Establish clear procedures and instructions for everything that has to do with your business.

7) Cultivate Open Communication

Communication is fundamental to employee happiness, as well as an effective team and business. It’s more than just an exchange of information; it’s how well the recipient understands what you’re trying to say.

8) Try an Alternative Work Schedule

To make the most of your employees’ peaks in performance, try instituting an alternative work schedule. Examples include flextime, compressed workweeks, 9/80 work schedules, and split shifts.

Use Sling to Increase Employee Happiness

While many apps make the scheduling process simpler, only a handful actually provide tools that help you improve employee happiness. Of those, Sling is the best.

Sling’s powerful A.I. allows you to maximize the potential of each shift so you can create the best team for the job while still giving your employees the time off they need. Sling provides suggestions and notifications when you accidentally double-book someone or forget to take into account a time-off request. This can help you maintain the happy vibes that you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

And Sling offers even more features to help you maximize workforce management, optimization, and employee happiness, such as:

Built-in time-tracking features
The ability to clock in from any mobile phone
Geofencing to keep this feature accurate
Labor-cost control
Budgeting
Overtime control
Paid-time-off monitoring

All of that from one suite of tools. Sling really is the complete solution for scheduling, organizing, managing, and improving the way your team feels at work.

See for yourself what Sling has to offer, try it for free, and get even more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs.

]

May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

Understanding and Preventing Employee Theft: Effective Methods and Tools

[ Understanding and Preventing Employee Theft

Sling is now Sling by Toast! Learn More

What is Employee Theft?

Employee theft is any stealing, use, or misuse of an employer’s assets without permission. It encompasses more than just cash, targeting a variety of assets including money, information, time, merchandise, and supplies.

Common Methods of Employee Theft

1) Skimming

Skimming occurs when employees accept cash payments and pocket the funds without recording the transactions in the point-of-sale system.

2) Larceny

Larceny involves the theft of personal property, such as money, supplies, or merchandise that belongs to the company.

3) Embezzlement

Employees with access to cash or supplies may misappropriate these assets during transactions, engaging in embezzlement.

4) Expense Reimbursement Fraud

This method involves falsifying charges on expense reports and seeking reimbursement for those expenses.

5) Proprietary Information Theft

This entails stealing crucial business information like customer lists, software, procedures, and trade secrets.

6) Check Tampering

Check tampering occurs when employees forge signatures or alter payee information on company checks to pay themselves.

7) Billing and Payroll Theft

Employees may create fake vendor accounts or manipulate payroll figures to funnel extra funds into their own accounts.

How to Prevent Employee Theft

1) Shore Up Your Pre-Employment Screening Process

Conduct thorough pre-employment screenings, including credit history checks for positions involving money or asset handling.

2) Conduct Background Checks

Conduct background checks on potential employees with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure trustworthiness.

3) Monitor Key Financial Records

Engage an external accountant to review key financial records periodically to detect any signs of employee theft early.

4) Establish a Code of Ethics

Maintain and enforce a clear code of ethics within your employee handbook, setting a strong ethical example yourself.

5) Set Up Checks and Balances

Implement a system where sensitive transactions require managerial approval, and ensure employees work in pairs when handling critical tasks.

Minimize Employee Theft with the Right Tools

Sling by Toast offers robust workforce management tools to help reduce employee theft effectively. These tools streamline scheduling, time tracking, labor forecasting, and real-time management, enabling you to concentrate on essential business operations.

Try Sling for free today and see how it can optimize workforce management and help prevent employee theft.

]

May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

Maximize Efficiency and Profits with Automated Scheduling: Discover Sling by Toast's Revolutionary Employee Management Solution

[ Sling by Toast

Sling is now Sling by Toast!

You might have noticed a significant upgrade in our offerings. Learn more about this exciting transition and how it benefits you.

Key Features

Labor Costs: Optimize your labor costs as you schedule.
Task Management: Assign and delegate tasks per shift or employee.
Time Clock: Accurately track employee work time, from anywhere.
Multiple Work Locations: Easily schedule and communicate across locations.
Communication: Stay in touch with messaging, newsfeed, and more.
Integrations: Manage all of your work from a single, easy-to-use platform.

Why Choose Sling by Toast?

Automated scheduling is a revolutionary process that leverages data and AI to simplify your scheduling tasks, enabling you to schedule weeks or even months in advance with just a few clicks.

What is Automated Scheduling?

Automated scheduling uses data, user-defined parameters, and AI to select the best employee for a particular shift. Instead of manually sifting through data, the AI does it for you in seconds, saving you valuable time.

How Does Automated Scheduling Work?

The process involves entering business parameters, such as employee availability, overtime limits, and business budget, into the system. The AI sorts through the relevant information to create the optimal schedule.

Benefits of Automated Scheduling

Saves Time: Automates the tedious task of managing schedules, giving you more time for other essential activities.
Reduces Overtime Spending: Manage overtime effectively, setting limits to control labor costs.
Increases Profits: More efficient scheduling leads to better resource allocation and increased profits.
Forecasts Labor Demand: Utilize historical data to predict future labor needs, ensuring you're always staffed appropriately.
Helps Maintain Compliance: Ensure your business complies with labor laws, minimizing legal risks.
Builds Strong Relationships: Reduce scheduling conflicts and promote a positive work environment.
Allows for Strategic Planning: Free up time for strategic initiatives that propel your business forward.

Automated Scheduling Done Right with Sling by Toast

The Sling app, now powered by Toast, is your go-to solution for optimizing workforce management. The app simplifies scheduling, labor cost analysis, communication, and much more.

With its cloud-based system, Sling allows you to manage multiple locations, track time, and stay compliant with labor laws, all while reducing manual work and errors.

]

May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

How to Start and Succeed with a Ghost Restaurant: Insights from Sling by Toast

[ Starting a Ghost Restaurant: A Complete Guide

Sling is Now Sling by Toast!

Discover more about our advanced team management suite.

Want an Affordable First Step into the Food Service Industry?

Looking to expand your brick-and-mortar location without going into debt? Try starting a ghost restaurant. In this guide, the restaurant management experts at Sling provide you with all the information you need to start a virtual restaurant and guide it to success.

What is a Ghost Restaurant?

A ghost restaurant (also known as a virtual restaurant, delivery-only restaurant, online-only restaurant, or dark kitchen) is a food-service business that serves customers exclusively through phone orders or online orders. Unlike traditional restaurants, a ghost kitchen does not have a storefront, decor, or a dining room. All you need is a kitchen and delivery drivers.

How Ghost Restaurants Operate

Customers place orders via a web or mobile application.
The kitchen staff prepares the food upon receiving the order.
A delivery driver then transports the meal to the specified location.
Post-delivery, the mobile app processes the transaction and releases funds to your business.

Benefits of Owning a Ghost Restaurant

Lower Overhead: No need for an expensive dining room, store frontage, or elaborate decor.
Less Risk: Reduced expenses make it less risky compared to traditional restaurants.
Simpler New-Market Testing: Easy to test new markets from a central location.
Lower Dependency on Table Turnover: Profits are not tied to the turnover rate.
Fewer Staff Members: Only kitchen staff are needed, significantly reducing labor costs.

Tips for Running a Successful Ghost Restaurant

Consider Kitchen Sharing

Sharing a kitchen with other delivery-only restaurants can keep costs low while getting started.

Don't Skimp on Layout or Equipment

A well-designed kitchen and professional equipment can significantly improve team productivity and food quality, thereby affecting the success of your business.

Factor Delivery Costs into Your Prices

Ensure that delivery costs are included in your food prices to maintain a healthy profit margin.

Market Your Ghost Restaurant Just Like a Regular Restaurant

Utilize SEO, social media, and traditional marketing channels to gain exposure and attract more customers.

Effective Scheduling is Essential for Success

Even as a ghost restaurant, organizing your team and keeping them on-task is crucial for success. Sling by Toast provides powerful and intuitive scheduling features along with a host of tools to optimize business operations.

Time and attendance tracking
Built-in time clock
Labor cost optimization
Customizable reporting
Messaging and communication features
Geofencing and easy shift assignment

Try Sling for free today and streamline your operations to keep your business on the road to success.

More Resources

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May 23, 2024
Jordan Van Maanen

Sling Scheduling