In any restaurant, food must always come first. But when the restaurant offers full table service, the quality of that service runs a very close second. However delicious the meal, customers are unlikely to return if they felt unwelcome, were kept waiting too long or were treated rudely by a waiter. TheyÍre also far more likely to report a disappointing experience than a positive one — bad news travels fast.
GrillÍd opened its first restaurant in 2004. The concept of fresh, healthy burgers in a friendly, casual and funky environment proved popular; there are now over 45 restaurants across four states and many more are in the pipeline. GrillÍd was also named FCA Emerging Franchisor of the Year in both 2009 and 2010 — and Brett Carman, general manager of operations has no doubt that service is fundamental to this success.
“Obviously weÍre focused on the quality of our burgers, thatÍs a non-negotiable, but the GrillÍd experience underpins everything that we do,” he says. “The service people get in our restaurants comes down to staff and, by extension, our franchise partners. We rely on them to drive, inspire and lead people to provide great service. Without that the whole thing collapses.”
GrillÍd is particularly committed to staff retention. ItÍs a sound policy; reducing turnover has been linked with a number of benefits including more consistent quality for customers, higher staff morale and significant cost savings.
“Once weÍve recruited good people we work hard to keep them,” says Carman. “Our training program teaches more than basic GrillÍd skills — for instance, broader life and career skills — and weÍve found that helps to build loyalty. The program is tied to Certificate 3 in Retail Operations so it gives our people a qualification. And our growth has also opened up opportunities for moving people through our system. Someone joining GrillÍd as a team member can advance to a team leader role and weÍre now having success with moving team leaders into management roles. So, right from the start, they can see an opportunity for a career.”
Happy staff can also help with recruitment. “We have a referral system which encourages our people to recruit their friends,” says Carman. “That works on two levels. Creating a social environment at work is a positive in terms of retention and, generally, we find that birds of a feather flock together; people who want to do a good job often have friends with the same attitude. And, of course the last thing a good worker wants to do is introduce a dud because they feel it would reflect on their reputation.”
Referral is not an option when a new restaurant needs to be staffed from scratch. In this case, GrillÍd uses a group interview process with activities designed to see how people interact and work as a team.
When it comes to choosing franchise partners they have found an outsourced program to be most effective, not least because it is very objective.
“When we were helping to develop it, we had to identify core skills and attributes,” says Carman. “Naturally, we look for astute people with some business sense who are comfortable around numbers.
“But top of the pile is a passion for the brand. I know it sounds like a cliche but passion really does drive every element of the business. You canÍt have GrillÍd as a passive investment — we ask all of our franchise partners to be hands-on and thatÍs hard to do if youÍre not excited to be in the business.”
A family focus
La Porchetta has been providing home-style Italian food at value-for-money prices for over 25 years. Now, with 80 contracted and franchised locations across Australia, they still pride themselves on being family-friendly — La Porchetta was recently voted Best Family Restaurant in Victoria by readers of Mother & Baby magazine.
“Our restaurants are set up to reflect the best of Italian family culture,” says CEO Sara Pantaleo, who was recently named National Franchise Woman of the Year by the Franchise Council of Australia. “We want parents and their children to enjoy great food and to relax while we look after you.”
A varied menu adds to the family appeal and the franchise recently strengthened its brand by introducing childrenÍs parties. Youngsters of five and older can now learn how to prepare their own pizza and then eat their own creations.
As with many restaurant franchises, hospitality experience isnÍt a pre-requisite. A passion for the food industry and customer service most definitely are.
“We look for commitment, stamina, entrepreneurial drive and great communication and relationship skills,” says Pantaleo. “We also look for people who display empathy for others and a family orientation to fit in with the culture of our restaurants. ItÍs also very important that franchisees have good analytical skills so that they can work with us to drive their business forward.”
As most franchisees are hands-on, excellent people management skills are another given, but that doesnÍt necessarily mean formal qualifications or experience in the workplace is required.
“These skills can also be demonstrated in a number of different ways, including volunteering and family life,” says Pantaleo.
Initial franchisee induction training includes extensive coverage of human relations. “In addition, we support franchisees with detailed information about recruitment, from advertising the position to inducting new staff — our induction checklist covers everything from policies on equal opportunity to food safety,” says Pantaleo. “We also have templates to assist in rostering and staff management as well as a job application section on the website which is externally hosted.”
Training extends to every aspect of the business. “This doesnÍt mean that franchisees will necessarily make pizzas or work in the kitchen,” says Pantaleo. “It does mean that they understand fully what goes on in every part of their restaurant and are ready to manage any challenge that might arise.”
Some things canÍt be taught
Outback Jack’s Bar & Grill, popularly known as OBJÍs, is the fastest-growing steakhouse chain in Australia. The chainÍs success is built on the promise of premium-quality steaks in a relaxed environment with full bar facilities. Customers choose their cut of meat from the display cabinet, and, according to OBJÍs, it is the largest range of steaks on any menu in the world.
Since the first restaurant was established in Tamworth in 2006, 22 more have opened across Australia. There are plans to double the number of outlets over the next 12 months, not necessarily with franchisees experienced in the industry.
“Hospitality and even management skills can be taught,” says Colby Smith, general manager of operations. “Attitude and personality canÍt, and OBJÍs fun, Aussie style environment means that our franchisees need plenty of both.”
Training is extensive and generally begins with a stint at the Darwin restaurant. Franchisees receive complete, up-to-date manuals for all aspects of the running of a restaurant and full-time trainers provide continuing support once the restaurant has opened. This includes helping franchisees and their staff with the Outback Jacks concept, including excellent customer service, along with help and advice on keeping and recruiting staff.
“But the most important thing is that our franchisees are hands-on, motivated and people-orientated,” says Smith. “We look for people who have good communication skills with a passion for good food and exceptional service. We like people that want to drive the brand and build a successful business — and have plenty of fun along the way.”
Getting the basics right
If anyone knows about the value of customer service itÍs Stan Teschke. ItÍs been more than 35 years since he and his wife Vicki opened a Taco Bill Mexican Restaurant in South Melbourne with ïTaco BillÍ Chilcote and two other pioneers of the Mexican food industry. He is now co-owner of the longest-established Mexican restaurant in the country.
His franchisee training starts with a question: what are the two things than people who visit restaurants complain about most frequently? “The answer is ïnot being greeted at the doorÍ and ïnot having the bill brought to the tableÍ,” says Teschke. “Not many people know that, but if you get those two things right, youÍre already 95 percent of the way to being successful.”
Hospitality is a relationship business and, as Teschke points out, the relationship starts as soon as someone phones to make a booking or walks through the door. “If you donÍt acknowledge them and make them feel welcome theyÍll get the sense that theyÍre not wanted and quite likely go somewhere else,” he says. “People hate to feel theyÍre being ignored.”
Franchisees need excellent people skills in order to relate well to both customers and staff. They also need the skills to get the best out of people who are keen to work but whose credentials are less than ideal.
“For instance, we never used to hire backpackers because they will only be around for a limited time,” says Teschke. “But good, permanent staff are increasingly hard to find so now we do hire backpackers. But, instead of going through the full training process, we have developed a condensed program focusing on key aspects of customer service. We teach them that everyone makes mistakes from time to time but the most important thing is to acknowledge that, apologise and do what you can to make amends. If youÍre helpful and friendly, customers are more likely to remember that than the fact that one dish arrived a bit late.”