Pizza Today -March 2023 - 40

goal is to develop great behaviors. Big
chains take the people that unstructured
independent restaurants say are
untrainable and develop them into
managers. Why is that? The chains pull
this off because they're very clear with
their expectations of the staff and train
them as such. The X-factor is those
chains are typically soulless and heartless.
You can have soul and heart all
day, but you need metrics and institutionalized
boundaries.
Here are the three core fundamentals
of all training:
* Classroom. Classroom training
means anything they study. It could
be written words on paper or PDFs
or looking at a menu, videos or any
training that can be taught sitting
down. They must understand the
product and what they're supposed
to do. But if this is all you give,
it'll be like teaching karate from
a book-some things you need
physically do to understand them.
Making pizzas suitably is one of
them. Working a POS and knowing
how to engage a guest also takes
in-person training. Computer screen
recordings and simple, quick rough
how-to videos are surprisingly effective
training tools compared to classic
training manuals. Have recipes
and processes locked in, record them
and test them. Nothing is easier or
more effective than learning from
videos with a test question.
* One-to-One Training. One-to-one
training means that a trainer trains
with the trainee and physically
shows each aspect of the classroom
training in detail. Additionally,
the trainer verifies that this person
knows how to do it. They go
in-depth on each item to verify that
this new trainee feels comfortable
and is going along the path. The
trainer needs their own training
to learn how to be a good trainer.
That's called train the trainer. In this
course the trainer learns that repeating
things is ok and support rather
than derision is the way to get new
40 / PIZZATODAY.COM / MARCH 2023
people on board.
* On-Site Training. On-site means
on the job, that they are learning by
doing the repetitions over and over
and over again. Most restaurants,
especially new ones, have on-site
or on-the-job training and nothing
else, which is not enough. If
you throw a menu at someone and
say, " Learn this. Now, go do it, "
you have denied them one-to-one
training. All three work together for
someone to have a strong chance
of performing well in their job and
have satisfaction in their performance.
That satisfaction and pride
increase the likelihood they'll be
there on day 90, as well as day 365.
Verification
All of these styles of training require
tests. You can test if someone knows
the toppings on your supreme pizza by
filling out a test, or you can have them
make it for real. Both of these should
occur. When you verify an employee
has made it multiple times correctly,
the probability of future failure is
almost zero for that specific item. Yes,
it's tedious to do this for every item
and task, but it's also intelligent and
saves money in the long run. That's
why it is an investment.
Testing is for the benefit of the
employee to ensure their success. It is
not to weed them out. When you were
in high school, and you had a tough
test where the teacher barely gave
you any information, and you had to
study all night in the hopes that you
might get the question you hopefully
studied for, you were in the midst of a
testing game. This practice is not how
you would prepare someone for the
knowledge you absolutely needed them
to know. That path is " gotcha testing. "
Avoid this testing style; instead, seek
education verification with a path to
re-education for any slip-ups.
Otherwise, you are setting your staff
up for failure, which is a problem
because each employee costs about
$3,500 to get fully acclimated and able
to hold their own in your store. When
they quit, all the investment is tossed
out. If you get them up to that point
and now they just don't like the job,
you've lost. If they work there a month
and a half and are entirely up to snuff
with what you want, but because you
treat them poorly or they don't like
their job, they leave, you've lost. So,
this investment only has a return if the
trainee feels safe, secure and empowered
while working for you.
How To Empower in Training
In all training, do it in front of them
once, maybe twice. Then have them do
it. If they do it correctly, you're done.
If they don't, explain again what they
did wrong, reinforce the things they
did well, and keep doing corrective
measures until they perform it perfectly
uninterrupted. Otherwise, they
are not trained. I repeat THEY ARE
NOT TRAINED IF YOU DON'T
SEE THEM DO IT RIGHT. If the
training becomes, " You do it this way,
this way, this way, you got it? " As you
stare blindly at the employee, who then
nods out of fear because they don't
want to appear dumb, then they won't
know, you'll be frustrated, and it will
be your fault.
When your staff feels pride that they
know what they're doing, it creates
stability for creating a better product,
which creates less anxiety, more pride
and a higher likelihood of retention.
With all that said, the number one
reason why good people leave jobs is
because of bad management. You are
responsible for their success. Your subordinates
are responsible for their success.
When people know the standards,
they generally want to reach them, so
let them. Explain what success is, show
what failure means, and have them hit
goals, so they are on your team and not
just a cog in the system.
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's
Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today -March 2023

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