Pizza Today - November 2022 - 12

MIKE'S MONTHLY TIP
MIKE BAUSCH
As staffi ng levels normalize, smaller sections
will mean a server has more time to
spend at the table. More staff on shift will
mean more time to build rapport with the
customer to get better tips and create more
incremental sales at their table. If you've
never done that before with your staff , now's
the time to do it. If you don't have enough
staff to do this yet, realize surviving is not
the goal; thriving is, and increasing staff
to pre-pandemic levels needs to occur as a
number one priority. Some front-of-house
staff will buck this trend in fear of losing
out on tips with smaller sections when the
opposite is true.
You teach this not by explaining it while
the staff nods happily; it's to role play with
the customer-facing staff the ideal customer
interaction. Roleplay with managers and
employees doing steps of service the correct
way and have staff prove they can build rapport
and not just order-take.
Th e next step is to have specifi c loyal
Thrive Mode
he post-pandemic malaise is in
full eff ect. Without seeking to
knock on a ton of wood, it would
appear that the pandemic is drawing to
a close. Or as close to an end as possible.
Will it ever be entirely over? Who
knows? Probably not, but it's certainly
not at its height.
Th ere's a weird dynamic currently occurT
ring.
Th e workforce has become accustomed
to working with fewer co-workers.
and they have become great at taking
to-go orders. Th e kitchen staff is lean and
mean, and that's a good thing, but not for
customer-facing employees. Th e inverse is
that the customer experience is suff ering,
not just with me; it's nationwide. Even
now that we're getting staff ed up, we have
stores hesitant to work with appropriate
staffi ng levels. Th e reason for this is they've
never seen appropriate staffi ng levels. If
you have someone who's been with you for
two years, they've been with you for the
whole pandemic and nothing else. It takes
someone who's been with you for three
years or more to understand that a highly
functional restaurant should have staff
fi ghting for shifts. Th ey don't know that a
productive restaurant has servers that
upsell desserts, appetizers and alcohol
to get more incentives and better shifts.
Instead, the staff is shell shocked by low
staffi ng numbers and customer outrage
for any number of reasons. In general, the
average restaurant team isn't trying to
maximize the customer experience; they're
hardened and looking for a break.
What's the fi x? For stores that have a
front-of-house serving staff , you will need
to explain the value of smaller sections.
customers and friends act as secret shoppers
to these employees. Once you feel secure in
their ability and have vetted them, they have
demonstrated the proper way to interact
with customers; now, let them prove they
can do it to yield results. Th e ones who talk
about their favorite menu items and pairings
that enhance them will sell more and
not look like they are selling at all. Th eir
numbers will be better than the pack, and
they MUST be rewarded.
Th e odds are highly likely your staff is
not currently the sales machine they once
were, and your online ordering has done
a lot of the selling as to-go orders have
increased, and, as a result, the average ticket
has decreased in the last two years.
It's time to invert that. Th e beautiful
thing is the staff that is there is solid and
quick. If they are purely existing but not
delivering genuine service and hospitality,
they're still in survival mode. As soon as
possible, fi nd time to break them of that,
train them up again on building rapport,
and get them into thrive mode.
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch
12 / PIZZATODAY.COM / NOVEMBER 2022

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