Pizza Today - January 2022 - 12

MIKE'S MONTHLY TIP
MIKE BAUSCH
a customer in dealing with a mistake
or comp, they create loss prevention.
Consistent employees ensure you never
get to that point, and ideally, your all-star
manager can spend their time building
rapport with customers rather than putting
out fi res.
When the food is consistently excellent
The Quiet Hero
D
o you have some employees
who aren't pushing to advance
their role? Th ey're happy in
their position and cause no issues. Th ey
don't make a fuss, but they go under the
radar. Th ese employees are the bedrock of
any restaurant. A busy restaurant owner
can quickly end up overlooking these
employees.
With labor shortages, price fl uctuations,
marketing pushes, constant
setbacks, it's hard to keep your head
straight. When you look at all your staff
members, you might see some all-stars
itching to move ahead. At the same time,
others are petering out and need adjustment.
Th e problematic employees take
up your time to deal with via discipline,
write-ups and re-educating. Th e all-stars
need more training to get to their potential.
What about the people that are just
consistent?
I'm not a big golfer, but I like the
phrase " Swing for show and putt for
dough. " Your standard employee who
pounds through work dependably every
day will go unappreciated much of the
time, but they are great putters. A great
250-yard swing doesn't matter if you take
four swings to put the ball in the hole.
It's important to remember that stores
that hit revenue numbers and get great
reviews do it because of consistent baselevel
employees. Consistent employees
are vital to a great restaurant.
I'm big on saying if you're not
impressive, you're unimpressive. A
quiet employee might not come off as
impressive to you. But those employees
who consistently deliver a perfectly
cooked pizza, who rarely if ever miss the
toppings on what's supposed to go in
the oven, who always handle customer
interactions proactively ensure you don't
have negative customer experiences. Th ey
are extremely impressive because a penny
saved is a penny earned with employees
like this.
When you have an all-star manager
who will go above and beyond with
and on time, it alleviates a customer's purchase
anxiety and creates more visits. Th e
quiet employee who comes in and works
hard, then goes home, and rarely asks for
anything, is vital now more than ever. You
already knew that, but after reading this
article, translate it into action. What can
you do for this employee? Th ey might not
be a chatty Cathy, but that doesn't mean
they don't appreciate you publicly saying
how much you appreciate them. Th eir
lack of charisma doesn't mean they aren't
funny and don't have an opinion on what
could improve the restaurant. So, I suggest
you do two things this month and every
month.
1. Build or add to your professional
rapport with these employees.
2. Find out something they need and
help them with it.
Roller coaster employees who demand
attention one minute and then ruin your
expectations the next will eat up a lot of
your time. Faux hard-working employees
who are excellent in front of you but
lazy when you're not around, destroy
your store. Th ese employees are okay
with 40-minute ticket times when barely
anyone is in the restaurant. Th ey will
disenfranchise your customer base quickly.
It's death by 1,000 cuts those small
failures create, leading to a mass exodus of
customers. Th e quiet, consistent employee
doesn't do that.
You must recognize all-stars. Th at's a
given. But keep motivating those who
don't demand your attention to be great,
because they already are.
Build rapport with them and help
them; it won't be in vain.
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch
12 / PIZZATODAY.COM / JANUARY 2022

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Pizza Today - January 2022

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