The food service industry has faced no shortage of challenges in recent years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to rising costs and inflation. And staff retention is one of the biggest ongoing struggles for restaurants, caterers and other food service businesses. So, what’s the secret to keeping employees engaged and reducing turnover?
In episode five of the Food Service Matters podcast, host Patrick McDermott interviews Kevin Watson, Managing Director of Amadeus Foods, an award-winning corporate, private and wedding event catering company, which counts NEC Birmingham as one of its major clients.
In this article, we share Kevin’s insights on how to cultivate an enviable workplace culture, derived from his 30+ years of experience in the food service industry.
Invest in staff
People should be the number one priority, according to Kevin, who points out that staff retention is a significant challenge for food service businesses today. He explains, “If you’ve got a talented team who know that competitors are envious of what they do… being able to reward and retain those individuals is the biggest challenge, in my view.”
Kevin emphasises the need for employee recognition by investing in teams and giving them a sense of purpose. This includes offering training and development opportunities, competitive pay and benefits, and ways for staff to give back through volunteering initiatives. He adds, “I would much rather focus on having a motivated and committed team because it drives customer service and experience.”
A big part of investing in people is leveraging technology to make jobs easier and processes more efficient. Kevin mentions that for Amadeus Foods, this has included implementing technology.
“Technological solutions have been incredibly painful to introduce, but with the minimum wage increases we’ve had to endure every year, we’ve managed to maintain our labour percentage – and I’m very proud of that,” he says. Digitising operations in this way has enabled better management of the ebb and flow of a large event-driven workforce.
Create a culture of pride
Along with investing in staff directly, Kevin discusses the importance of creating a workplace that team members are proud to be a part of. He describes fostering a “pride-envy dynamic” where employees feel proud of their business and colleagues while competitors look on enviously at the culture they’ve achieved.
Kevin explains that open communication is key, especially in exit interviews and induction reviews. And, most importantly, companies must act on feedback. “You get rich data coming in that you mustn’t pay lip service to. You must act upon it,” he asserts. This focus on culture and people has led to Amadeus Foods achieving an impressively low turnover rate of 30 to 40 per cent.
For any business in the food service industry looking to attract and retain top talent, these lessons from Kevin Watson ring clear: your employees should be your top priority. By truly investing in their growth, you’ll be rewarded with an engaged, motivated team. So, what steps will you take to invest in your people and create a “pride-envy” culture?
To listen to Patrick’s full interview with Kevin Watson, check out the Food Service Matters podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.
Patrick is CEO of DigiTally, which is playing an increasingly important role as an intuitive and interconnected simple food service software that helps save time, increase margins and combat food waste. Keen to learn more? Let’s talk! Book a 30-minute call with Patrick and get your demo set up today.
