What a year 2022 proved to be! As we reach the end of the year, many organisations – especially clubs and pubs – are glad to be back in full swing. Inherent in that full swing is the challenge of finding and keeping staff, the supply challenge for food stuffs and the ongoing impact of rising energy and food costs.

We will see more consolidation in the club industry and even some pubs are closing doors now, with the Government support stopped and lost trade, not getting them back to pre-COVID trading conditions. Never more than now is the old adage “Good food, good beer and good atmosphere” more relevant to survival. 

As I wrote last month, our industry is under challenge to reduce, if not remove totally, our reliance on gaming. Not an issue I hear the restaurateurs say – we never had them. All food outlets are “only as good as their last meal” so consistency, of produce supply, the quality of that produce and then the quality of the meals produced, is paramount.

Add to that the key ‘customer service’ element and with lots of inexperienced staff working for us now, we can be at risk of losing repeat trade due to the ‘product/service bundle’ not meeting the customers’ expectations.

Driving the culture of your organisation is a critical element in solving this conundrum. If your club, pub or restaurant has the right culture, it reflects in the results and the whole atmosphere of the place.

What is great culture?

You create and maintain great culture by a combination of factors, including –

   X      Selecting the right staff (hire for attitude and train for skills)

   X      Training your staff – proper inductions (this is how we do it here

   X      Ongoing learning and development – training for both soft and hard skills

   X     Gaining the team’s commitment to the organisation’s purpose

   X     Selling the team the vision that the customer is the ‘centre of our focus’

   X     Building a strong team culture where everyone knows everyone else has their back

   X     Recognising and rewarding when the KPIs (key performance indicators) are achieved

   X     Management actually “walk the talk, not just talk the talk”

When all this falls in place, an amazing thing happens. The team bounce into work every day, ready to not just meet but exceed the customer’s expectations. The customers all subconsciously feel the energy in the place, the enjoyment and happiness, the collegial conviviality that makes everyone feel welcome.

When a club, pub or restaurant achieves this level of consistent culture, the business really flies! A safe environment for all staff to hold each other accountable to the common goal of exceptional service to create an exceptional customer experience.

The cream on the cake is that staff recognition piece, which at this time of year must include a staff Christmas function, when the staff get the night off and they are treated to a meal, drinks and some entertainment as that Thank You piece. If your business cannot afford to entertain their staff just once per year, then I am willing to bet you don’t have much of a business. The Team spirit and collegial culture will definitely be under threat, if it exists at all.

Let’s hope that 2023 proves to be a successful, profitable and somewhat less challenging year for all!

For more information on building that winning team culture, contact Ron Browne 0414 633 423 or info@extrapreneurservices.com.au .