From constant foot traffic, changing shifts, and kitchen accidents to cancellations and PR scandals, restaurant managers, have a lot on their plate. It is very easy for them to miss something, which could spell ruin for the entire business. This is why employee performance reviews are the heart and soul of restaurant management. They allow managers to stay on top of issues like employee morale, turnover rates, promotions, and more. But how can you keep track of all of this and still do your work?
The restaurant employee evaluation form is an efficient way to track how restaurant employees are performing with regard to the company’s goals. Let’s take a closer look at this document, how it works, and how you can use it to keep your restaurant in top shape.
What Is a Restaurant Employee Evaluation Form?
A restaurant employee evaluation form is fillable document hotel supervisors, and managers use to evaluate and analyze employee performance over a set period. This management tool assesses each employee’s key skills and contributions toward the company’s goals. Additionally, it can be used to identify potential areas of improvement, additional training, promotions, and demotions, among other actions within a restaurant.
Why Is a Restaurant Employee Evaluation Form Important?
One of the primary benefits of a restaurant employee evaluation form is that it enables busy restaurant supervisors to keep track of their employees’ work and progress over time. This then creates room for improvement because it can highlight areas of weakness, such as tardy wait staff and more.
These evaluation forms also form part of a restaurant’s record and may prove useful when a manager wants to give a promotion, let some employees go, and more. Moreover, these records create a great starting point for new supervisors joining the team. A simple look can tell them what to expect from every employee in the restaurant.
Beyond the managers, a restaurant employee evaluation form allows employees to set and review their professional goals. It gives them control over their performance and incentive to assess their work and improve their areas of weakness.
How Often Should You Use a Restaurant Employee Evaluation Form?
Restaurant employee evaluation forms are usually filled out when marking a milestone in the company calendar, such as the half-year or end-of-year mark. However, with the hotel industry having such a high turnover rate, it is advisable to include this form in every performance review, which you should conduct every three to six months.
This schedule can help you catch possible problems among the wait staff early and fix them as opposed to performing a review every six to twelve months. In addition to this, you should also have one-on-one reviews with your employees every week or month to keep them actively engaged in the company’s journey to achieve its goals for the review period.
How to Use a Restaurant Employee Evaluation Form
Employee evaluations are an important company tradition and should be used as a tool to improve workplace performance rather than scare and bully the wait staff. This is why the most important rule of using a restaurant employee evaluation form is not to keep your employees in the dark. When planning a performance review, you should:
1. Set Review Timelines
Let your restaurant employees know when and how you will perform the evaluations. Will you meet all the employees simultaneously or base your timing on their employment history? It is unfair and counterproductive to ambush your wait staff with a performance review, so set clear timelines.
2. Provide Employees with a Copy of the Form
Two weeks or so before the review, create copies of the evaluation form and share them with your employees. This will help them identify the areas of focus so they can prepare adequately.
3. Prep for the Review
One week before the evaluations begin:
- Schedule when to meet with each restaurant employee
- List down the goals the employee put down during their previous evaluation.
- Ask your employees to complete the form, providing information in key areas like weaknesses, strengths, skills, results, goals, and more.
- Request that they return the filled forms two days before the interview.
- Review the forms and prepare for the evaluation.
How to Conduct a Restaurant Employee Evaluation
On the day of the meeting, refer to the form and use it to guide the discussion with your employees. Open the conversation to input and questions from the employee to promote honest and constructive communication. When you get to the goals section, go through each one, asking the employee to explain how they achieved their objectives for the last review period. Then, help them come up with new goals for the next period. With everything out of the way, have the employee sign the bottom of the form.
What to Do After the Restaurant Employee Evaluation
After the employee signs the evaluation form to confirm that you had a meeting, you can ensure the integrity and success of the process by doing the following:
- Making copies of the filled restaurant employee evaluation forms
- Providing each employee with a copy that they can use to keep tabs on their goals for the new period.
- Saving a physical and soft copy of the form for company records.
From time to time during the review period, refer to the evaluation forms and conduct one-on-one check-ins with your staff to make sure they are achieving their objectives.
Handling a Negative Performance Review
Of course, not every performance review you perform will be positive. Negative reviews can be unpleasant, but they are necessary, especially when an employee’s performance negatively affects the company. The best way to provide negative feedback is to do it immediately and keep it constructive. Stay calm, and don’t make the conversation personal. Still, keep in mind that you are the manager and reserve the right to call out poor performance.
Conclusion
Employee performance reviews can be tough on both parties, but they are necessary. Making a restaurant employee evaluation form a staple of your managing technique allows you to touch base with your employees, find out how they are performing, and make necessary adjustments to grow your restaurant. Remember, an effective restaurant evaluation should leave both you and the employee feel motivated and heard. The goal is to create and achieve goals together through open communication. That said, do not be afraid to give a negative review as long as it is done professionally.
