Chapter 3 - Working with Restaurant Staff

Every owner’s philosophy differs when hiring restaurant staff.  Some only hire experienced professional restaurant staff while other owners hire high school and college students to represent their restaurant. Professional restaurant staff will observe restaurant entertainment and simply ignore it.  The restaurant entertainment is more of a nuisance to professional restaurant staff. Inexperienced staff have the mindset that you are there for them and may be distracting, interruptive or obnoxious.

Typically, restaurant staff is comprised of counter staff, kitchen staff and floor staff.  Each position has specific responsibilities. And when a restaurant entertainer enters a restaurant for the first time, he or she can disrupt the work flow.  Kitchen staff is now coming on the floor to watch or ask for a balloon. Counter staff are no longer answering phones and are more concerned about participating in the entertainment than performing their tasks.  Wait staff start to neglect customers and want to be part of the show at each table.  The restaurant entertainer must take charge and lay down ground rules with staff. After all, the owner brought you in to help business, not disrupt it.

Let the Kitchen staff know health code does not allow balloons in the prep area. Let the wait staff know you are going to be here every week and there will be plenty of time to ask questions - after the rush.  Make it clear, for now our goal is to make money and turn over tables.  Tell the counter girls that, you are here for the customer first – and maybe you can make something for them later.  Do not let the restaurant staff act like you are an employee, because you’re not! You are outside contractor hired by the owner to help increase and improve his or her business.  Your first obligation is the owner and their customers.