“To encourage staff to gather customer e-mail addresses, we ran a month-long contest, randomly pairing each server with a member of the kitchen staff. Totals were posted in the kitchen nightly. Everyone got excited about his or her partner’s progress, and there was a lot of good will generated between the front and back of the house. On a normal shift we pick up five or six e-mails; during the contest the numbers increased to as many as 50 a night. Prizes were cash and gift certificates.”
–George Price, owner, Flying Fish Café, Kill Devil Hills, NC

“To cut down on breakage, three times a year we form teams and reward the group with the least breakage for 30 days. We post the cost of each dish and glass and when something is broken the cost of the item is added to the team’s tally. During the contest breakage decreases as much as 75% and for several weeks after the contest employees are extra careful. Prizes are usually cash.”
–Joanie Corneil, chef/co-owner, Bella’s Italian Café, Tampa, F

“To energize and reward bartenders we had a contest this summer to create new cocktails. Normally our contests involve servers and back of the house, so our bartenders were very excited about having their own contest. The five winners received a packet of prizes, plus their names appeared on the table tents featuring the winning drinks, giving them lots of recognition, which they loved. Plus, we got some great new recipes.”
–Debra Fox, director of training, The Palm Restaurants