Hand in Hand

E-learning and in-person training work together to increase professionalism

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 10/1/2004

For seven years, Nancy Duricic relied on off-the-shelf computer software and hands-on training for polishing front-of-the-house service at Dave & Buster’s. That changed in November 2002 when the senior vice president for human resources agreed to create proprietary training software for the 34-unit, Dallas-based chain. Her program, still being refined, will be used for 3,000 dining-room employees.

The opportunity to improve existing materials advanced the goal of providing servers a thorough understanding of the menu. “They must know our products, and that requires memorization,’’ she says.

Dave & Buster’s customized training software includes exercises in how to set tables and manage coffee stations.

Making that chore fun for a generation raised on videogames and fast responses requires presenting content in an exciting way. She devised online games as exercises and uses graphics and humor to get attention and reinforce learning.

Duricic’s program approaches training tasks in batches. The first deals with testing, measuring and evaluating employees. Already in use in five Dave & Buster’s, the software has produced positive results. “It saves us time by relieving trainers of chores such as grading exams, tracking individual performance results, and knowing who’s taken what exam or who needs to retake a test,’’ she says.

Remaining content includes ingredients, cooking techniques, presentation and coffee service.

But software, while helpful, is only part of the training solution, says Duricic. “You can’t replace trainers because customer service is about dealing with people. Software can reinforce learning through repetition.’’

While not divulging the entire price of program and development, Duricic says updating it for seasonal menu changes costs Dave & Buster’s $25,000 to $30,000 for each new version.

Keep Current
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store also has developed customized training software, which it introduced in November 2003. Employees (both back- and front-of-the-house) access exercises and tests online in each of the 505 units. Topics for front-of-the-house staff include guest relationships, product knowledge, safety, sanitation, writing orders and how to roll silverware. Content is derived from in-house training programs and experience with day-to-day operations.

Training for servers at Great American Ball Park combines sales technique with people skills.

“We’ve been exploring e-learning since 1997,’’ says Julie Davis, corporate communications director for the Lebanon, Tenn.-based chain. The company tested learning modules and reviewed custom and off-the-shelf software and hardware.

“Our goal was to improve effectiveness and efficiency—including cost—in training, and better meet the learning needs of employees,’’ says Davis.

The company settled on a common platform for all units, and then gradually rolled it out through its system. “We’ve seen a decrease in turnover, and the benefits associated with that,’’ Davis says. Instruction is equally divided between e-learning and hands-on teaching. Employees are paid during training.

It is not that paper-based learning was ineffective. “The challenge of traditional training was keeping content updated,’’ says Davis. Whenever an operational change was made, there was a time delay and cost entailed in getting new ones printed. “E-learning allows us to make changes in content, almost immediately, in one central location without the cost of printing new manuals.” Grading tests, once the chore of unit managers, is now done by computer. It frees managers to spend more time running units.

Employees have reacted positively to e-learning, Davis reports. “It’s probably because computer use in the general population has taken off. People are more comfortable with a keyboard than they used to be,’’ she says.

Learning From POS
Servers at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park combine the selling style of an old-fashioned hawker with the polished presentation of a restaurant waiter. The reason is 36 handheld ordering devices. Instead of running from seats to concessions, the 60 servers stay in their designated areas and assist 3,000 customers in the club section of the ballpark. Emphasis is on people skills and suggestive selling.

Servers are trained to assist customers in making choices from a printed menu and making suggestions for additional items. Managers monitor servers’ performances to judge specific retraining needs. Runners, usually one or two per server, deliver from kitchen to seats. Servers execute 75 to 100 orders per game; delivery takes 5 to 12 minutes.