Gamification: Boosting Employee Engagement and Brand Loyalty

 

In today's fast-paced foodservice industry, keeping employees motivated and engaged is paramount to maintaining high standards and exceptional customer experiences. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® one innovative strategy that's gaining traction is gamification. At Love's Travel Stops, a pioneering gamification system is revolutionizing their restaurant operations, demonstrating how technology can edify employees and elevate brand loyalty. Let’s dive into the details and uncover how gamification can be a game-changer for your brand.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency

Love's Travel Stops has integrated a state-of-the-art gamification system featuring three 27-inch monitors that track key performance metrics in real-time. These metrics include greet times, order processing times, and the time it takes for food handoff. By providing immediate feedback, employees can see how their performance stacks up against their peers and previous shifts.

According to early data, restaurants utilizing this gamification system are 11 seconds faster in service on average. This notable boost in efficiency translates to quicker service for customers, which is crucial for a business that prides itself on convenience and speed.

Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Gamification isn't just about improving efficiency; it's also about creating a culture of continuous improvement and friendly competition. Employees earn badges for reaching milestones, achieving sales goals, and promoting self-development. This recognition not only motivates employees to excel but also fosters a sense of achievement and belonging.

"Our investment in gamification technology is transforming the way Love's restaurants operate," said Joe Cotton, vice president of foodservice at Love's. "By incorporating cutting-edge technology, we can better engage our team members while optimizing the customer experience."

Real-Time Performance Tracking

The gamification system allows for real-time performance tracking across multiple locations. This transparency encourages healthy competition between stores, driving employees to strive for top rankings. Such competition ensures that each visit to a Love's restaurant is a consistently positive experience for customers, as every team member is motivated to deliver their best performance.

Carl's Jr. Restaurant Manager Tanda Hopper shared her experience: "The gamification software helps us meet brand standards and contributes to our speed of service. It engages my employees and creates healthy competition between our store and others — we're always trying to get the top rank!"

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Building Brand Loyalty Through Employee Engagement

When employees are engaged and motivated, their enthusiasm translates into better customer service, which in turn strengthens brand loyalty. Gamification helps employees feel more connected to their roles and the brand they represent. By making work more engaging and rewarding, employees are more likely to take pride in their work and stay committed to the company's goals.

The Future of Gamification in Foodservice

Love's Travel Stops plans to invest more than $2 million over the next five years to install gamification technology across its locations. New stores will be equipped with this technology upon opening, ensuring that the benefits of gamification are felt company-wide.

For any brand looking to enhance employee engagement and operational efficiency, gamification offers a compelling solution. By turning everyday tasks into engaging challenges and recognizing achievements, companies can create a more motivated, efficient, and loyal workforce. This, in turn, leads to better customer experiences and stronger brand loyalty.

Incorporating gamification into your operations could be the key to unlocking higher performance and a more dedicated team. As the Grocerant Guru®, I see gamification as not just a trend but a transformative tool that can drive success and growth in the foodservice industry.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Need Fast Food Employees Pay For HOMEWORK

 

Have you heard about how Hamra Enterprises is rewriting the rulebook for student workers with an onsite homework program? Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® and the entire team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® thinks you could learn a lot from just how proactive Hamra Enterprises, the Wendy’s, Panera Bread, and Noodles & Company franchisee pays employees to sit in the dining room and work on homework for an hour before or after their shift. It seems to be working well.  Here is what they have to say about it and how it works:

“The Springfield, Missouri-based company also rewards team members for good grades, offering $300 for report cards with straight A’s, $200 for A’s and B’s, and $100 for all B’s.

“A lot of people that work for us who are in high school or college aren’t just there to have a job,” says CEO Mike Hamra. “There’s a financial need for them to support either themselves or their family, so we wanted to help ensure they can be successful in getting an education while they’re working to make ends meet.”

The onsite homework program began in 2022 at a Panera location in Needham, Massachusetts, that was struggling with staffing. The company set out to find a way to provide an extra level of support for employees while also improving turnover and retention.

“We put together some ideas, and then we really worked with the management team there to craft the program,” Hamra says. “We tweaked a few things here and there as we were doing the pilot. That came from listening to the associates about what they liked, what they didn’t like, what was working for them, and what wasn’t working for them.”

As an example, the idea to carve out homework time either before a shift starts or after a shift-ends came directly from team members.

“We wanted to make it as available and flexible as possible for the people that are participating in it, and we wanted to create more of an opportunity for them to really step into the program easily,” Hamra says.

After fine-tuning the parameters based on feedback from student employees, the company brought the pilot to more restaurants, mostly Wendy’s and Noodles locations in its home state. When all was said and done, around 60 employees at 22 stores participated in the test run.

Hamra Enterprises started rolling out the program across its entire footprint last spring. Paid homework time and cash rewards for good grades are now available to all eligible employees at nearly 200 stores across 11 states.

“As with any new program, it’s great if you can come up with a brilliant idea, but it makes no difference unless you build awareness around it,” Hamra says. “That’s always the biggest challenge. You have to empower your leaders, your managers, and your other team members to talk about it.”

Word-of-mouth is the most effective way to drum up support and encourage buy-in throughout the organization, he adds. That comes from sharing information through as many employee touch points as possible, from in-store posters and the company’s website to its internal newsletter.

“Of course, with younger adults, the key is reaching them through communications on their desired platforms, so we’ve also launched a social media campaign to help get the word out,” Hamra says.

As far as the financial tradeoff that comes with paying employees to sit in the dining room and do homework, he sees it as less of a cost and more of an investment.

“There are lots of anecdotal stories of businesses buying into the next fancy new trend or direct financial resources in the hopes of getting some competitive edge,” Hamra says. “As we see it, by attracting the best employees and retaining them, any investment in the homework program is more than offset by a reduction in training costs.”

He points to the Panera in Needham, where the program helped bring about a significant improvement in the staffing situation. Turnover was around 80 percent in October 2022 before the pilot got off the ground. A year later, it was down to 58 percent. Retention at the restaurant improved from 51 percent to 65 percent during the same time period.

“There are other things that we’ve done around leadership training and supporting employees, but the homework program definitely contributed to that,” Hamra says. “If you look at it on an annual basis, turnover dropped by 22 percent and retention went up by 14 percent after the implementation of that program at that particular store.”

The good grades incentive, meanwhile, is proving particularly useful for employees who need help covering education expenses like tuition, school supplies, and activity fees.

“One of my favorite things to do when I’m in the stores and meet somebody who’s in high school or who’s in college is talk about these programs,” Hamra says. “They say things like, ‘I came here to work to support myself, or I came here to work because my family needed the extra money. I don’t have anybody else to give me a financial incentive to go get A’s and B’s, so I feel better about putting my time and attention toward my education because I know I’ll get something out of that.’”

Helping student employees succeed in the classroom is just one-way Hamra Enterprises aims to support its workforce. There’s a program called Hamra Employes Reach Out that is partially funded by employees, with the company matching every contribution dollar-for-dollar. Those funds provide financial assistance for things like extended medical leave, funeral expenses, and transitional housing. The company also has programs that aid in financing home ownership and covering daycare costs. “Competition for the brightest and best employees is pretty fierce out there right now, so it makes a difference for people when their employer is supporting them not just with a paycheck, but in other areas of their life that are important to them,” Hamra says. “We typically find that when our support structures are in play, and people are utilizing them and engaging with them, those employees are happier and stay with us longer. They also spread the word about us as an employer to their friends and family, and that makes a big difference in attracting and retaining people.”

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Starbucks Backtracks Edifies Hourly Employees

 

The company that build its brand on respecting its employees by listening to their needs, paid them well, gave them medical insurance even part time works before anyone else is now backtracking on disagreements with employees on the right to form a union.  What company, STARBUCK’S of course.

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® “all companies forget what got them to where they are today once in a while.  It’s not too late for Starbucks to stand up, and stand with their employees is allowing them if they want to form a union.  It just might be the first step of many in redeveloping the ability to hear and understand the need-set of its current work force.

That said, Starbucks has asked the union representing the employees of 367 units to push through an impasse on contract negotiations and hammer out employment agreements for the 9,100 employees by the end of 2024.

The overture to start negotiations next month came in the form of a letter from Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly to Lynne Fox, president of Workers United, the parent organization of 2-year-old Starbucks Workers United (SWU). The communication was slugged, “Formal Request to Recommence Contract Bargaining.”

A copy of the letter was sent to all employees of unionized Starbucks stores in the United States. It counters the frequent assertions of Workers United that the coffee chain refuses to bargain and is stalling the negotiations purposely to thwart the union. With normal staff turnover, the majorities of baristas who voted to unionize are being eroded in some instances, leaving fewer supporters of outside representation in place. The current employees of 19 organized units have already petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on whether to maintain union representation.

The regulatory agency has not granted any of the requests, citing alleged unfair practices on Starbucks’ part.

Starbucks said it has asked SWU representatives to meet with chain officials more than 500 times, with negotiation sessions actually scheduled in at least 100 instances. But the talks invariably broke down over disagreements about what format the negotiations should take.  Starbucks has indicated its preference for small closed-door sessions, arguing that the relative privacy will foster candor, trust and the discretion that’s typical of compensation discussions.

But Starbucks Workers United has countered with a stated preference for meetings that are broadcast via Zoom or similar webcast platforms to a wide audience of union members.

The parties have also been at odds over the scope of a contract. The SWU began its organizing campaign with petitions for a union vote in each of three stores in Buffalo, N.Y.  Starbucks countered that it’d prefer one vote for all cafes in the market, arguing that workers often float from one unit to another. A whole-market vote on organizing would also have been harder for the union to win since it would have needed to convince a larger number of workers to vote “yes” for the necessary majority.

The NLRB sided with the union and ruled that a vote had to be held in each unit. That store-by-store policy remains in effect today.

Now SWU is suggesting that negotiating a single contract across all 367 union-certified Starbucks stores would make more sense. Starbucks has pointed out that the NLRB’s decision essentially rules out the possibility, though executives acknowledge the merit of agreeing on a basic contract template and then tailoring it to each union store.

After receiving Starbucks’ letter, Fox issued a statement saying, “We are reviewing it and will respond.”

She added, “We’ve never said no to meeting with Starbucks. Anything that moves bargaining forward in a positive way is most welcome."

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Scorecard or a Grocerant Program Assessment.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant   Call: 253-759-7869 or Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  

Extended Business Hours: Embracing the Gig Economy to Keep Restaurants Open Longer & Later

 

Article by Guest Blorer: Starr Douglas, CEO of FrontHouz

The gig economy has come, and it is here to stay, both providing a new way for workers to utilize their skills and profoundly impacting how businesses operate. One crucial area where the gig economy is making a splash is within the food industry, mainly the "grocerant" niche.  Retail food outlets refer to “grocerants” as supermarkets offering fresh, hot, in-store dining with ready-to-eat meals.

Embracing the power of the gig economy has enabled all restaurants and food service companies to not only have trained staff available at their fingertips but also to extend their business hours so they can generate more revenue.

While grocerants are the focus of this article, all dining establishments, from casual eateries to fine dining, can benefit from this staffing approach.

In this article, we will explore how restaurants leverage this power to enhance the overall experience of their staff and guests.

The Benefits of Embracing the Gig Economy for the Food Service Industry

Ride-share and food delivery weren't the be-all and end-all; they sparked an exciting revolution that made business owners face the opportunity on their doorsteps. Accessing the gig economy gives venues a more comprehensive range of available staff and drastically lowers their training costs by allowing them to select from a pool of pre-qualified and talented workers.

This overcomes one of the biggest challenges for the food service industry - maintaining adequate staffing levels to meet customer demands.

Historically, turnover usually has hovered around 70% annually, reaching as high as 140%. By maintaining a complete and competent team, restaurants are able to eliminate the need to close on certain days and keep up with busy peak times during their most profitable seasons. This not only increases revenue, but boosts guest satisfaction.

Key Gig Economy Roles for Restaurants

Understanding the benefits of the gig economy is one thing, but putting it to practical use is another. After all, isn't it just another pool of candidates? Restaurants that center their brand around service will always need specialists to cement it in place, and some critical roles help to achieve excellence:

To-Go Specialists

Restaurants can easily access to-go specialists during peak hours without breaking the bank on development, training, and onboarding costs. A to-go specialist is efficient and skilled at managing the take-out portion of a business so that guests receive their orders promptly and accurately.

Caterers

Business events, weddings, galas, and other medium or large events are big wins and can do wonders for a restaurant's brand, both in reputation and in revenue. Having skilled hosts and caterers ensures that VIP guests receive the white-glove treatment they paid for.

Bartenders

Whether at a bar or restaurant, drinks always come first. Bartenders can save the day during times when the kitchen is overwhelmed and orders just aren't going out as quickly as needed. Experienced bartenders help bars run smoothly and provide an extra edge that can make a massive difference to retention and repeat service.

Unleashing the Gig Economy: Extending Business Hours

The gig economy has transformed the way that hospitality brands operate. Embracing this power has, and will, empower restaurants to extend business hours, increase their revenue, and have the confidence to rely on their staff's competency.

Closed and short-staffed restaurants are a huge problem, and leveraging the gig economy for critical roles such as catering, to-go specialists, and bartenders are great ways to stifle turnover rates.

About Starr:

Starr Douglas, a dynamic young female executive, is the visionary CEO and Founder of FrontHouz, an innovative on-demand solution for front-of-house restaurant staffing. Her journey to success began early, graduating high school at the remarkable age of 15, and continuing on to GA Tech. Starr's vast expertise extends across various front-of-house roles including bar captain and manager; it was this time in the industry that later inspired her to create a solution for front-of -house staffing. With her vast experience and pioneering spirit, she continues to redefine the hospitality industry, driving FrontHouz to new heights of excellence while delivering hospitality venues peace of mind, additional revenue, and reduced expenses.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

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Food Delivery Drivers Need CASH Gopuff Gives Cash Now

 

At the intersection of the client, customer, and employee’s food delivery companies need to have reliable service for all and meet or exceed the expectations of all if they are to thrive according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Gopuff recently teamed with Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for business, and partners such as Visa Direct, Visa’s real-time money movement network, to give its delivery partners who have an eligible debit card the option to cash out faster. In other word’s give them their money when the want it or need it.

Renaming their own niche, quick-commerce platform Gopuff has begun providing its U.S. delivery partners with the ability to instantly cash out their earnings balance at any time with a few clicks, giving them an even more flexible, convenient and quick way to receive their earnings and tips.

Here is how it works, Gopuff has teamed with Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for business, and partners such as Visa Direct, Visa’s real-time money movement network, to give partners who have an eligible debit card the option to cash out faster.

Daniel Folkman, SVP of business at Philadelphia-based Gopuff, stated, “Now more than ever, delivery partners are looking for convenience and speed when accessing their earnings,” .. “We’re proud to partner with Stripe to offer U.S. delivery partners a new Instant Cash Out option, which enables them to access and use their earnings within minutes, rather than days. We will continue to listen to delivery partner feedback and invest into their experience delivering with Gopuff.”

James Dyett, head of strategic accounts at San Francisco-based Stripe, stated, “Platforms like Gopuff are making it more convenient for consumers to access what they need, and delivery partners to get paid quickly,” … “We’re proud to power faster access to earnings as Gopuff builds on its success with Stripe’s financial infrastructure, especially in a time when every dollar counts.”

Yes, there is more; the Instant Cash Out option is the just the latest in a series of investments that Gopuff is making to enhance the delivery partner experience. These include:

·         Better Delivery Partner Support: In the past 12 months, Gopuff more than quadrupled the size of its delivery partner support team, enabling the business to provide quick responses and solutions to delivery partners’ questions. The company also rolled out a new in-app chat feature to make it even easier for delivery partners to connect with a support agent.

·         Driver App Enhancements: This past March, Gopuff launched the Gopuff Driver app in the App Store and Google Play Store. The new app considerably streamlines the delivery experience, makes it easier and faster for new partners to access the platform, and enables automatic app updates for existing users.

·         Faster Payouts and Greater Earnings Transparency: In May, as part of its partnership with Stripe, Gopuff transitioned delivery partners to a new system that distributes earnings two-three days faster than before. Gopuff also launched a fully redesigned earnings tab in the Gopuff Driver app, making earnings information more transparent and digestible.

·         More Cash-Back Promotions: In the United States, Gopuff teamed with Upside to offer delivery partners exclusive promotions at more than 50,000 businesses, including cash-back opportunities at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores. In the United Kingdom, Gopuff worked with Collective Benefits to offer discounted fuel options and deals to help save money on everyday expenses. 

·         Additional Perks: Gopuff recently launched such perks as vehicle maintenance discounts via Openbay, credit and discount opportunities on tax services via Block Advisors, and expense and mileage tracking via Stride. This follows a previously established partnership with Stride Health to give delivery partners and their families access to affordable, quality health insurance coverage.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Jack in the Box Star a Struck Story

What goes around comes around. This recent story from Jack in the Box reminds us how important every employee’s is and why it is important to regard, train, treat, each employee with thoughtfulness according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Mark Hammill, The Star Wars actor was once fired while working at Jack in the Box for doing impersonations in the drive-thru. Now he is appearing in ads highlighting the return of Jack in the Box’s Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks.

So, Mark Hamill will finally get to put his acting skills to work for Jack in the Box. Yes, what goes around comes around.

In case you are too young to remember, the actor, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise and voiced the Joker in several animated Batman movies, will appear in ads for the San Diego-based burger chain to promote the return of a pair of products: Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks.

Hamill apparently was fired from a Jack in the Box before his Star Wars days. He told James Corden’s "Late Late Show" three years ago that he tried voicing the Jack Box character while in the drive-thru. The manager didn’t like it and sent him home for good.

“I always aspired to work the window, the drive-thru,” he said. “The one chance I had at it, it never occurred to me not to be in character as the clown, as the Jack in the Box clown.

“The manager didn’t like it. He told me to go home and never come back. Yeah, I got fired. Fired for being in character.”

Jack in the Box is releasing a limited-edition comic book that illustrates Hamill’s history with the chain that customers can start purchasing in mid-August at the “Jack in the Box Swag Shop.”

Hamill will appear in the “epic comeback” campaign across television, digital and social channels.

The new campaign comes months after Jack in the Box named TBWA\Chiat\Day as its new creative agency, seeking to reinvigorate its marketing.

Both Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks periodically return to the Jack in the Box menu for a limited time.

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter