Restaurant Employee Evaluation to Build and Retain Your Dream Team

A restaurant manager is always multitasking. There is never a dull moment while they are on duty. Amid all the action, they often lose touch with their team members. Closely monitoring each team member's performance on a day-to-day basis is always a challenge. The result is disengaged employees and a problem waiting to happen at any moment. So how does one tackle this?

An employee evaluation form coupled with regular performance reviews helps achieve two things:

• It keeps employees engaged.
• It helps you identify any process lapses and maintain gold-standard service.

While it is simple to measure tangible metrics such as sales, it is more difficult to quantify metrics such as employee engagement. A restaurant employee evaluation form is an effective way to quantify and evaluate intangible performance metrics. The success of your restaurant ultimately depends on your employees. It takes more than just hiring the best talent to make your restaurant a success. Keeping employees engaged and retaining the best is what will help you build your dream team.

Restaurant employee evaluation form

Managers and supervisors use an employee evaluation form to assess the individual performance of each team member over a certain period of time. The form is a written record of performance reviews, which may be done on a quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly basis. An employee evaluation form helps managers gauge their team members' performance across various aspects. It helps them identify an employee's strengths and the areas where team members need help to perform better. Employee evaluation forms also give an employee the opportunity to assess their own performance and identify areas where they lack expertise.

Should restaurant managers use employee evaluation forms?

The simple and straightforward answer is yes. Employee evaluation forms help managers quantify qualitative metrics such as the ability to work in a team and the ability to perform under pressure by grading them on a scale. It makes subjective evaluations more objective. Restaurant employee evaluation forms bring managers and team members onto the same page about the strengths and improvement areas for that team member. Evaluations are also an opportunity for an employee to assess themselves. It helps them track their progress and set goals.

Employee evaluation forms come in handy when management has to identify the best performers, choose who is fit to be promoted into a new role, and identify non-performers. It is an essential tool to help restaurant owners build and retain their dream team.

Using the employee evaluation form the right way

It is important to incorporate an employee evaluation form into the performance review process the right way to make the most of it. Here is a step-by-step process to help you understand how to use a restaurant employee evaluation form effectively.

Set expectations with new hires

Explain to all new joiners how performance reviews work in your restaurant. Share the tentative schedule, and walk them through your employee evaluation form. This gives them a clear picture of how they will be evaluated during a performance review. It also helps them perform better in their jobs because the employee evaluation form sets a clear tone of expectations.

It is important to let employees know why you are using employee evaluation forms. Most restaurants use evaluation forms to:

• Keep track of their performance.
• Identify areas for improvement.
• Make decisions about promotions and pay raises.

Schedule reviews in advance

A performance review should not be a surprise to your employees. Inform your team members well in advance about your performance review schedule. Whether you evaluate all of your staff at the same time or in a staggered way based on their tenure, informing them in advance is necessary. Encourage employees to use this time to review their past evaluations, reflect on their progress, and reassess their professional development goals.

Give employees time to self-evaluate

Give your employees enough time to self-evaluate before their performance review meeting. Share the employee evaluation form with your team members over email or a performance assessment platform if you have one. Design the form so that employees are able to grade their performance, comment, and provide feedback. This self-evaluation helps employees track their progress, set goals, and hold themselves accountable.

Complete the manager evaluation

Now that employees have done their self-evaluations, it is time for the manager to assess their team members and fill out their employee evaluation forms. Evaluate your team members on both qualitative and quantitative metrics when filling out the form and conducting their performance review.

Prepare them well in advance for what is in store during their one-on-one performance review meeting. How do you do that? By sharing the completed forms with your team members before their review. This helps them process the feedback, whether positive or negative, and keep their questions ready.

Hold the one-on-one review

No one likes their shortcomings being discussed in public, especially at their workplace. Schedule one-on-one meetings with each team member and walk them through their evaluation form in that meeting. Explain the feedback in detail and the rationale behind the ratings you have given them. Address any questions your team members may have and be open to their suggestions. Empathize with them and try to provide a solution to overcome any challenges they might be facing.

Discuss the way forward

Discuss the way forward with your employees during their reviews. If someone is not performing as expected, help them by identifying training programs that can assist them with upskilling. You could also assign a mentor to them and help them set goals so they can improve in the areas where they are lacking. Help outstanding performers identify what they should do to step into a higher role.

Communicating positive feedback is as important as communicating negative feedback. Failure to do so may cost you your star performers. A good restaurant employee evaluation program plays a significant role in keeping employees engaged, retaining them, and building your dream team.

How do you keep your restaurant employees engaged? Do you conduct employee performance reviews on a regular basis? We would love to know how your employee evaluation program has helped you build your restaurant team.