As restaurateurs face ongoing labor challenges, many restaurant brands are finding that hiring is not at the heart of their problem. Consequently, many brands are turning to technology solutions to increase employee satisfaction and run operations more efficiently, and in turn, enhance the customer experience.
Jake Guild, senior vice president and chief accounting officer of BJ’s Restaurants & Brewhouses, which owns and operates 214 casual dining restaurants in 29 states, explained to PYMNTS how the brand leverages efficiency to improve employee satisfaction.
“We are working on different issues. [retention-boosting] stuff,” said Guild. Some of it stems from bringing new technologies that improve how we manage our restaurants and simplify the relationship between our guests and our restaurants.
The brand cited an example of order status boards it’s piloting in select locations to update with orders picked up by third-party delivery drivers, rather than requiring these drivers to take up staff time by asking employees for up-to-date information. . In addition, the company is allowing loyal members to pay for their meals via their phone, saving an employee the hassle of dropping off and picking up the check.
Such initiatives are especially important when restaurants face the problem of hanging on to staff, who in turn find it difficult to meet the demands of the system and maintain service levels, losing sales and alienating customers.
The 2022 edition of the PYMNTS “Restaurant Readiness Index” study, created in partnership with Pyrtronics, was based on a survey of more than 500 managers of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and full-service restaurants (FSRs). About one in three restaurants say their service levels have declined due to staffing issues. Additionally, 29 percent of restaurants reported not opening as many tables as they could.
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In addition, the survey found that 46% of managers had experienced problems retaining employees in the past three months, and chain restaurants experienced these problems more than their independent counterparts.
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So, another retention-enhancing technology BJ’s is using is payments made to its restaurants through financial services company DailyPay, a partnership the restaurant announced earlier this month. Guild explained that, while it’s too early to get hard data on the technology’s effectiveness, the brand has seen “positive signs” among those who have registered “retention-related” charges.
Along the same lines, the company is testing software to streamline tips to ensure employees are paid on time, even if their shift ends before a table leaves and their next shift isn’t for several days. This challenge comes as many restaurants recognize workers’ desire for shift flexibility and their need for more immediate pay.
The initial promising results of the company’s Daily Pay rollout will lead to further technological explorations to increase employee satisfaction in the future.
“I think earned payroll is the beginning of a much larger integrated set of services that can be delivered in the same way,” Guild said.
New PYMNTS Survey Finds 3 in 4 Consumers Strong Interest in Super App
In Care Of The new study by PYMNTS, “The Super Up Shift: How Consumers Want to Save, Shop and Spend in the Connected Economy,” in partnership with PayPal, analyzed the responses of 9,904 consumers in Australia, Germany, the UK and the US. And instead of using dozens of individual ones, there has been a strong demand for a single versatile super app.
https://www.pymnts.com/restaurant-innovation/2022/restaurant-cast-13-smoothies-as-essential-health-purchases/partial/
