Pizza Today - August 2018 - 41

the discounts the employee can get,
and also, if applicable, the driver
responsibility agreement. Management
also keeps a copy of the employee's
application, driver's license and social
security card.
After that, Medellin says, the new
hire can begin training on not only
the menu, the point-of-sale system
and other areas, but also on customer
service. "How to present yourself with
the customer is the top priority," he
says. "That's very important. Otherwise
you create bad habits."
Before any paperwork or training,
new workers should feel welcome.
Management must make sure the staff
knows when a new person is starting.
"There is an adage: 'Throw the party
for them on their first day, not their last
day,'" says Chuck Lipp, chief operating
officer of Cincinnati-based Dewey's
Pizza. "It means making sure there
are extra resources in place so their
first engagement is really a welcoming
experience."
THE FIRST ENGAGEMENT includes

meeting the teammates, the manager
and the trainer, who is an hourly
employee. After each shift the manager
and trainer discuss what feedback to
give the trainee so that the person
knows what went well and what needs
improving.
Workers are encouraged to continue
their development from teammate
to team leader to the various levels
of assistant manager and manager.
"Training doesn't end when training
ends," Lipp says. "Everybody knows
the expectation is that you are going to
grow in your responsibilities as a leader
in our company."
Managers undergo four to six
months of training, and after they
complete the training they are assigned
a mentor. "It's someone who is not

their direct supervisor, and has no real
direct influence on their income," Lipp
says. "The manager can pick up the
phone and say, 'I am really struggling
with paperwork or dealing with an
employee.'" He adds that the mentor
also learns from these interactions.
Others agree that making a good
first impression is important, partly
because it can help reduce turnover.
"You want to make sure on day one
if they have to wear a uniform you have
a nice clean uniform for them," says
Tim Breen, vice president of franchise
operations for Dallas-based Pie Five
Pizza Co., a subsidiary of RAVE
Restaurant Group, Inc. "Also if during
the interview you find out they can't
work Mondays, make sure the schedule
reflects that, and you have a trainer
scheduled on Tuesday."
At Pie Five Pizza, the initial
training program lasts five shifts. The
worker learns the basics, and there are
opportunities for continual education.
"They might say, 'Okay I now want
to learn how to do the morning prep
work," Breen says. "That's a specialty
they can learn after they mastered
greeting and cashier."
Workers often want to learn new
tasks because they can earn more
money. "Also it creates self-worth,"
Breen says. "Whether it's a 16-year-old
in their first job or a college student,
they feel accomplished. We get loyalty
and longevity, they tell their friends,
and then it's a cycle."
The trainer is responsible for the new
staffer for a minimum of 60 days, and
during that time introduces the trainee
to co-workers during each shift. "Your
goal is make sure they are happy and
they stick around," Breen says. "People
stick around if they have friends."
He adds that the trainer becomes
a mentor so that the new hire has
someone who can answer questions.

"Sometimes a new person feels they
should not ask a manager questions,"
Breen says.
SOME OPERATORS USE TECHNOLOGY
IN THEIR TRAINING. At Rancho Santa

Margarita, California-based John's
Incredible Pizza Company, the
application and training processes
are automated. "We write all of our
computer programs, so our programs
are mostly proprietary to us," says
Denina Evans, director of human
resources. "We streamlined that
process."
The training, called Discover John's,
starts with a three- to four-hour
orientation. "It's on tablets, and we
uploaded videos so it's interactive
and they don't get bored," Evans says.
"There is a test at the end of each little
chapter on all our processes."
John's Incredible Pizza also offers
Fun World, a section of the restaurant
that has arcade games and rides. For
those jobs, the employee undergoes
four- or six-hour certification courses.
There are different certification levels,
Evans explains, for ride operators,
trainers and train the trainer. The rides
are heavy equipment, so the workers
must be older than 18 and learn the
safety measures.
For everything from greeting
customers to operating a ride, training
is imperative. "They can't be put on
a schedule in a position until they
complete their training," Evans says.
"They are learning the job hands on,
making sure they're doing things
appropriately, and when they're done
the manager signs off." n
NORA CALEY is a freelance writer
specializing in food and business topics.
She lives in Denver, Colorado.

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