This year, professionals predict many trends to upgrade the customer experience at restaurants of all levels, from marketing and UE (user experience) updates to improved menu items. And since last year, technology integration has been a major focus for restaurants looking to improve upon their operations and meet trends. At National Restaurant Consultants (NRC), we are excited to see another trending target audience among the industry’s improvements: employees.
According to a recent article from Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), “the restaurant of the future is designed for the employee.” Alicia Kelso profiled the new updated Chick-fil-A location outside of Atlanta for NRN, whose upgrades definitely appeal to customers but also were implemented with employees in mind. The drive-thru prototype “features…four drive-thru lanes and a food transport system that allows a meal to be delivered from the kitchen on the second floor to employees serving guests below. It also includes some less sexy details that maybe don’t merit big headlines but that illustrate a growing trend, nonetheless. The dishwashing station, for example, is flanked by giant windows providing natural light and a view of the outdoors, while the employee lounge is sizable and cozy.”
She goes on to write that “more restaurant brands are focused on the employee experience, supported by ‘the math’ that happy employees equal happy customers,” as has been a major point for our restaurant consultants over the years. NRC emphasizes employee experience on the basis that company culture affects everything: from the efficiency of operations to the broader customer experience—not to mention the mental health and lives of the staff members who are integral to the restaurant business. We have featured employee incentives, such as growth tracks and appreciation days, and our consultants regularly lead trainings so that employees feel prepared, heard, and cared-for.
Chick-fil-A is tackling another factor in employee happiness: restaurant design. Whether it’s about operations efficiency, systems reliability, or simple design aesthetics, a person’s workspace effects their quality of work and the quality of their work experience. According to Kelso’s NRN article, “Nearly 40% of employees said they’d be happier if their workplace design was updated, while a staggering 95% said a well-designed workspace helps them be more productive and focused.”
Other restaurant chains are following suit. “Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers made a minor back-of-house change recently when it replaced tickets with a pictogram system showing employees what is on each burger build,” reports NRN. Kelso wrote separately about Popeye’s, who also went “all in on a kitchen redesign to create a better employee experience.” Kelso goes on to share changes at First Watch and Red Robin, some of which are generally operational, and most of which are direct results of employee feedback. “Sometimes the solution to create better employee experiences is to simply provide them with more support,” she writes.
Richard Weil, owner and principal of National Restaurant Consultants, is very engaged on this topic. He writes, “This article demonstrates that many larger restaurant groups are recognizing the employee experience as essential to good customer service. Many regional, smaller, and independent operators may believe that investment and space requirements may not be feasible. However, at NRC, we believe it starts by first sitting down with staff and asking questions. Ideas may be as simple as a new staff portable table, to music or better lighting in an employee break area. Solutions may be at every operator’s fingertips by involving staff and managers alike. The rewards will yield happier staff, and the end result will be better customer service and employee retention.”
It’s important to remember that the restaurant and hospitality industry is about more than bottom line. It’s also about more than the customer experience—it’s a business of helping people, and employees are people to be cared for. Little changes of care, for the customer or for employees, get to the heart of what the industry is about; and in the end, putting people first also does impact profits. Good business starts with treating all people well.