A Letter from Curtis Wilson, VP/General Manager, Restaurant and Lodging Industries

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INTRODUCTION

A Letter from Curtis Wilson, VP/General Manager, Restaurant and Lodging Industries

Dear Restaurateur,

As a partner with the restaurant industry for over 35 years, American Express continually looks for opportunities to assist restaurateurs in addressing the challenges of an evolving and competitive marketplace. Because our ultimate goal is to help you succeed, we look to you to help identify the challenges and issues you consider most critical to the growth of your business.

One of the most serious questions facing all employers is how to recruit and retain quality employees—and the restaurant industry is no exception. Restaurateurs consistently cite attracting, motivating, and keeping good employees as one of their most significant challenges.

Moreover, the true costs of turnover run much deeper than recruiting, hiring, and training. Restaurateurs must also consider the more insidious and long-lasting costs of lower productivity caused by unmotivated employees, lower check averages, and reduced frequency of loyal customers.

Because we understand that your success depends on your ability to find and keep good employees, American Express surveyed the restaurateur-readers of Briefing, our industry newsletter, to learn how they are meeting these challenges. We then interviewed hundreds of these restaurateurs around the country to hear more about their strategies.

This booklet, The Main Ingredient, is the result. Like our previous resource booklets on ways to develop new revenue streams (The Next Course) and to prevent No-Shows (Turning the Tables), this is a booklet of best practices. It identifies the elements that drive satisfaction among quality employees and shares creative and effective strategies from restaurants of all sizes around the country.

We’d like to thank the publishers of Briefing, Debbie Freundlich and Susy Davidson, for bringing The Main Ingredient to life. In addition, our sincere appreciation goes to the more than 200 restaurants who were so generous with their insights during our interviews. It is a tribute to the industry, and reflective of its spirit, that those with whom we spoke were so candid and willing to share their practices with their colleagues. We wish them—and you—continued success.

Sincerely,

Curtis Wilson
VP/General Manager
Restaurant and Lodging Industries

	Introduction
	Lessons Learned
	Finding Good Employees Hiring the Right People Recruiting The Interviewing Process Approval Period Exit Interviews Next Steps
	Money Talks Introduction Cash Bonuses and Incentives Insurance Programs Profit Sharing
	Time On Your Side Introduction Flexible Scheduling Preferred Scheduling Paid Time Off
	Pats On The Back Introduction Public Praise Recognition
	Fun and Games Introduction Contests In-Store Money Employee Events Excursions and Trips
	Little Extras Introduction Dining Programs Gifts, Perks, and a Helping Hand
	Tools For Success Introduction Education and Training
	Doing Good Works Introduction Chefs in Action: Working with Kids Involving Employees Chefs in Action: Working for Change
	Booklet Resources

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