Tools: Rise 360
Time: 1 Week
Client: Another Round Bar and Grill
Collaborators: Maria Casalino, Veteran Server
Summary of Project: This is an engaging and coherent course that helps new servers. Because of this training, customers were treated to a better dining experience and owners and servers saw an increase in profits.
Challenge
Another Round is a family-owned bar and grill that is known for being the place to watch the game. Boasting a large space for parties and plenty of TVs for different sports, Another Round is a part of the community in many ways. Veteran server Mia Casalino stated that they were in need of formal, standardized procedures to teach new servers.
I met with Mia for a project kickoff and together we determined the objectives of such a course. I helped to guide our plan asking detailed questions: What does your new hire typically look like? What are some of their strengths and weaknesses coming into your restaurant? What does your training process look like now?
It turned out that new hires were trained by more experienced servers on the job. They were walked through the process by shadowing one or two people, and they studied the menu to learn which items were available. The problem became that some servers gave different advice to newbies, and not everyone was hearing the same message. In addition, new hires needed guidance in understanding the important role Another Round plays in the community and how to act professionally on the job.
The challenge was this: create a course that emphasized Another Round's community value and set standards of practice for serving guests. I determined that the learning objectives were that learners should be able to greet a table, take their order, deliver food, and close out the tab with 100% accuracy.
I asked Mia even more questions to determine what a successful interaction with guests looked like. She walked me through the process, and I got to work!
Solution
My solution to this challenge was to create a course that guided participants through the practice of serving a table. Because this was presentation of a process, I knew that the course should be linear and that is should include several checks for understanding. Since new hires would be required to view this course in their own time and space, I needed to make sure that they met small benchmarks along the way. This would ensure that they would be able to apply the information when the time came.
I also knew that Mia wanted to emphasize professionalism, so I used Rise360's polished-looking (and mobile friendly) presentation platform. Another Round is fun and friendly, so I kept the visuals and text the same way. I included an upbeat animation on how to enter a pizza order to keep learners engaged and increase knowledge retention.
One of the challenges of this project was in choosing which information to include. While Menu Training is essential to server success, menus change frequently, and I needed to provide a course that could be used over time. To solve this problem, I highlighted menu staples by presenting which ones the owners liked the best. This means that employees are introduced to several of the most popular dishes and to the owners themselves. I was able to present important information by emphasizing company values. Win-win!
Results
Mia's Review Coming Soon!