How Cross Training your Staff Can Improve Your Kitchen Service

The high turnover rate in the restaurant industry can sometimes make running a restaurant chaotic. Many restaurant owners and managers can solve their staffing issues by training their workers to adapt. Cross training your staff members makes the entire staffing service work as a team and improve your service.

When you cross train your dishwasher, you enable your workers to handle multiple jobs with proficiency and confidence. Dishwashers help out with more than just dishes. Some dishwashers are trained in food preparation for cooks. With cross training it is imperative that restaurants train the best workers. Loyal workers are the best workers to be cross trained so that the restaurant can benefit from their skill sets in the event of sickness or absence.

Team Effort

By cross training your staff, your workers begin to understand that each job has its challenges. Many workers also gain appreciation for each job done by their peers. Cooks and chefs begin to appreciate the hard work of a dishwasher—especially when they have to wash dishes. When front and back of the house learn to understand that every job is necessary, the team works better and smarter.

Here are a few additional tips

Make sure each employee has at least one person who can step into the dispit. This should be a mandatory expectation. But, you’ll have to be responsible for following through and providing the time and pay for your staff to cross train effectively.
Do run throughs. This is the only way you’ll know if your employees are cross trained well enough to take on the job.
Encourage feedback. Let your employees know that you welcome and encourage their feedback. With employees serving different roles in the restaurant, there may be suggestions that pop up. These suggestions are important and may contribute to the success of your restaurant.

Lastly, when you properly cross train your staff, your restaurant is:

Adaptable – you business can handle illness, vacations and unexpected setbacks.
Flexible – you can recover from problems and handle transitions.
Efficient –everyone learns all the positions and can improve each role for the best.
Team-oriented – cross training helps build a team environment. Workers will work smarter and more efficiently.