Washington Hospitality Magazine March 2020

WA S H I N GTO N

March 2020

LABOR AND WORKFORCE

HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES | LABOR SHORTAGE SOLUTION | CROSS-TRAINING AND LABOR COST

APPRENTICESHIPS: THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY EDUCATION PLANT-BASED IMPACTS ON HOSPITALITY

Washington Hospitality Association 510 Plum Street SE Olympia, WA 98501-1587

March 2020 │ 1

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EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher, Anthony Anton Executive Editor, Lex Nepomuceno Copy Editor, Iain Woessner Art Director, Lisa Ellefson Contributing Editors: Jacque Coe, Alina Day, Jillian Henze, Morgan Huether, Sheryl Jackson and Nicole Vukonich

Inside

March 2020

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair: Chad Mackay, Fire & Vine Hospitality Vice Chair: Ron Oh, Holiday Inn Express North Seattle Shoreline EXECUTIVE TEAM President and CEO, Anthony Anton Vice President, Teran Haase Chief Financial Officer, Darin Johnson Senior Director of Communications & Technology, Lex Nepomuceno Director of Local Government Affairs, John Lane Director of State Government Affairs, Julia Gorton Director of Membership, Steven Sweeney

510 Plum St. SE Olympia, WA 98501-1587 T 360-956-7279 | F 360-357-9232 wahospitality.org

Letters are welcomed, but must be signed to be considered for publication. Please include contact information for verification.

Reproduction of articles appearing in Washington Hospitality Magazine are authorized for personal use only, with credit given to Washington Hospitality Magazine and/or the Washington Hospitality Association.

Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Hospitality Association, its Boards of Directors, staff or members.

Products and services advertised in Washington Hospitality Magazine are not necessarily endorsed by the Washington Hospitality Association, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Washington Hospitality Association, its boards of directors, staff or members.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MAY BE DIRECTED TO:

Stephanie Conway

360-956-7279 stephaniec@wahospitality.org We welcome your comments and suggestions. email: news@wahospitality.org, phone: 800-225-7166.

Readership: 9,422

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Features 13

Shaping high school students into managers and chefs with ProStart

14

More with less: How cross-training employees balances rising labor cost

16

How to motivate employees

18

Apprenticeships: The future of hospitality education

20

Labor shortage solutions

22

2030: Pulse Check Workforce

24

Transitioning employees in a business sale

25

Member Spotlight: Vashon Island Baking Company—a bakery for the community

26

Member Spotlight: Maitland Manor—A bed & breakfast for everyone

In Every Issue 6

From Your President and CEO

9

Lex on Tech

10

Local GA Update

11

State GA Update

28

Calendar and New Members

30

Ask the Expert

HOSPITALITY

SUMMITS SPOKANE

03/10/20

TRI-CITIES

04/13/20

PENINSULA

04/20/20

KING COUNTY

04/28/20

PIERCE COUNTY

05/04/20

REGISTER AT WWW.HOSPITALITYSUMMIT.ORG

President and CEO

What are you doing to balance labor costs in 2020?

January 2020 is feeling a little bit like Bill Murray waking up with his alarm going off and the radio hosts saying “it’s Groundhog Day” again.

The issue of 2020 for hospitality is again going to be increasing labor costs. Yes, it was the issue for 2019 and yes, it was the issue for 2018.

A lot of what I would like to tell you this year is probably exactly what you have heard from us before, because it’s still important and the industry is still trying to find the right formula.

Chad Mackay, chairman of our board and CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality, was interviewed Anthony Anton President and CEO on national news about the challenges with labor cost. Chad said a lot of owners and anthonya@wahospitality.org managers know they need to change but haven’t done so yet. He went on to say he’s proud he made the changes he needed to and minimum wage is no longer an issue for his company. It made me picture Noah building the ark knowing the flood was coming and begging his neighbors to be proactive. Many in our industry are saying “no I’m not doing anything yet.” Guess what?

The flood is here.

The good news is our team has been working really hard to make sure you have a lot of information to help you make good decisions. In the past two years, we have produced numerous articles on trends, tips and tricks around labor cost.

I don’t think there is going to be a singular answer on how to make the changes needed. But I am quite sure that most businesses still need to directly take action to have success in this new decade.

While some of you are the people who built the ark to weather the storm, many of you now may be scrambling to find that helpful article from a couple years ago.

I’d encourage you to look through the list of our resources, and if you see anything that you would want, go to our website and check it out or register in the members-only online HUB at access.wahospitality.org.

Wahospitality.org: Doing service charges (correctly) Profit increases in a tough labor market Tip pooling—toolkit Commission pay—A road less traveled Videos with Rick Braa in the HUB (access.wahospitality.org): Labor cost management: Scheduling Labor cost management: Forecasting Labor cost management: Staffing Labor cost management: Trust and Track Members-only HUB (access.wahospitality.org): How to raise menu prices the right way Considering adding counter service?

“We can’t ignore it”—Navigating third-party delivery pitfalls This issue of the magazine is devoted to hospitality’s labor and workforce. We hope the carefully curated articles in the following pages with words of wisdom from Washington state experts will inspire you and lead you to success in 2020.

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Washington Hospitality Magazine Update

Times, they are a changing. Just like you are constantly watching your menu to determine your most popular items, we’re constantly looking at our most popular news content here as well. We’re so excited that our website views and HUB registrations are hitting alltime highs. And we’re excited that the open rates on our emails are now setting the highest standard of any association’s open rates. This also indicates the ways you prefer getting your industry information.

We’re going to put our effort into the communications assets you use most and tweak the way we do our magazine. You’ll still see six great issues from us this year and the content quality will be even better.

This effort will allow us to spend more time ensuring that when you go to the HUB or the website, you’ll find the content on how to increase menu prices and calculate food costs.

We’re looking forward to seeing how this experiment plays out. If you have any feedback for us, let us or your area coordinator know.

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Plant-based impacts on hospitality

A major shift in meat consumption is far from ‘impossible’

By Lex Nepomuceno, Executive Editor Last January I attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and was surprised to see that the makers of The Impossible Burger had a huge presence at the conference. Soy-based burger patties aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions new tech, but that sort of innovation is just as worthy of the tech label as a VR headset.

Technology, as defined by Merriam Webster is “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.” Plant-based food companies are creating products that fit exactly that description.

Corporate responsibility today Vegetarianism and veganism are more than just trends. It used to be that vegetarians chose their diet solely because they placed a high value on animal life.

This paradigm has shifted as climate change has become an increasingly important topic and people have started to identify factory farming as a major contributor to total carbon emissions. The Vegan Society purports that interest in veganism increased sevenfold between 2014 and 2019.

To match the explosion in vegan diets, and to acknowledge that this trend may be here to stay, companies whose entire business model is built around meat have started to adopt plant-based alternatives. KFC has introduced Beyond Fried Chicken and Burger King has been advertising the Impossible Whopper extensively. Of all the major American fast food chains, only Arby’s has vowed to stay free of plant-based imitation meat, and actually sparked some controversy when they unveiled their Meat-based vegetable menu. Only Arby’s has committed to appeal solely to the 40% of the global population that is expected by Kearney consultants to be eating exclusively real meat by 2040.

Disrupting the market Indeed, optimism for plant-based protein is higher than it has ever been. Beyond Meat had a set initial public offering

price of $25 and closed that day at $65.75, outperforming any single day initial public offering gain since Palm Pilot in 2000. As you may know, the makers of the Palm Pilot who ceased operations ten years later in 2010 did not live up to long-term expectations. Will Beyond meat be as short lived as they were? It’s hard to tell, but just as Palm was the first in the smartphone industry that dominates the cell phone market today, Beyond Meat is on the leading edge of plant-based food production and it seems safe to say that the industry is here to stay.

Imitation meat is not a new concept. Boca Burger was founded in 1993 and was a popular item in freezers all over America. Boca’s main ingredient is the same as the Impossible Burger, soy protein, so why is the Boca Burger irrelevant while Impossible Foods’ stock is well above $100? A combination of innovation and demand are to blame. As vegetarian and veganism explode, companies have found ways to make vegan options taste shockingly similar to their meaty counterparts. That matters because 92% of plant-based alternatives were consumed by non-vegans in 2018. As lifelong meat eaters begin to experiment with plant-based alternatives, fast-food chains are locked in a battle for brand loyalty.

Though the future isn’t certain, it looks like plant-based protein is here to stay, and you can expect large chains to continue to add meat alternatives to their menus. With the amount of effort that has been put into making a delicious soy burger, only time can tell what’s next. Maybe by 2021 we will have Impossible Bacon that tastes even better than the real thing.

How are you planning to take advantage of this new technology trend? Email me at lexn@wahospitality.org and let me know if there is a plant-based strategy for your restaurant or hotel in the near future. I will be sure to share some of the top member ideas in a future Lex on Tech. 

March 2020 │ 9

Government Affairs | Local GA Update

By Jacque Coe, APR

Spokane International Airport passenger traffic gaining in altitude

Spokane International Airport celebrated a historic first in 2019 as over 4 million passengers traveled through the airport during the year, a 2.8% increase over 2018. It’s the third consecutive year of record-breaking passenger traffic at the airport. Part of the increase is due to two new flights that launched last year. In June, Southwest Airlines commenced daily nonstop service to San Diego, and Alaska Airlines launched daily nonstop service to Everett’s Paine Field in November. Also, in December the Historic Flight Foundation opened a new facility at Felts Field. This living museum allows aviation enthusiasts to get up close to vintage aircraft that has been fully restored to flying condition.

In 2020 the airport anticipates another great year, boosted by the number of new flight options for passengers that increases the airport’s total number of nonstop destinations to 19. Alaska Airlines commenced twice-daily nonstop service to Los Angeles in January and announced twice-daily flights to San Francisco starting in March; United Airlines will launch seasonal summer daily nonstop service to Houston in June; and Delta Airlines will begin daily nonstop service to Atlanta in July. In addition, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott is expected to open in February. The hotel, which will become the third hotel property at the airport, is located directly across Airport Drive from the terminal building and will have over 100 rooms available to guests. 

Tacoma City Council passes closed captioning ordinance

All public establishments with televisions will be required to turn on closed captioning effective March 1, under a new ordinance passed by the Tacoma City Council. “We don’t often consider how individuals who are deaf or have a hearing impairment experience the world,” said Tacoma City Council Member Keith Blocker. “This ordinance will help make Tacoma more accessible and welcoming to all residents in our community.”

TV is not capable of showing closed captioning, or if there is no TV in the public space.

The city of Tacoma estimates that, based on national averages of people who are hard of hearing, more than 200,000 overnight visitors to the Tacoma region experience some form of hearing disability each year.

“We want Tacoma to be an inclusive city where all people can participate and contribute to our community,” Mayor Victoria Woodards said. “This ordinance makes the social connections and information provided in community gathering spaces more accessible to our friends and family who are hard of hearing or deaf and there is also the potential for business to crease their revenues as more people feel welcomed.” 

Seattle Hotel Association launches sustainable shower initiative

In an effort to start a new decade with a similar commitment and action toward sustainable practices, the Seattle Hotel Association has announced a goal to replace single-use shampoo, conditioner and shower gel containers with largerformat dispensers in hotel guest room showers. Seattle Hotel Association represents 80 member hotels comprising more than 16,000 guestrooms and millions of guests annually.

The ordinance is intended to align with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by creating an enforcement process. Once in effect, the new ordinance could result in fines of up to $500 a day.

About a quarter of member hotels have already made the move to bulk dispensers of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, with most properties anticipating a full conversation by the end of 2021.

Tacoma becomes the second major city in less than a year to pass such an ordinance. Seattle passed a similar ordinance last spring requiring TVs in public places to turn on closed captioning during operating hours. The Tacoma ordinance includes restaurants, hotels, bars, sports stadiums, retail establishments and other places of public accommodation.

The only exceptions to the Tacoma requirements are if the

The commitment comes as hotels continue to take innovative steps to create environmentally friendly hotels and guest rooms both locally and nationally. Many Seattle hotels have already made proactive efforts to phase out single-use plastic containers in guest room showers. The association estimates this new initiative could keep hundreds of thousands of single-use plastic containers out of landfills. 

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Government Affairs | State GA Update Restrictive Scheduling defeated for 2020

By Nicole Vukonich As you read this, the 2020 Washington State Legislative Session is wrapping up. This year’s short, 60-day legislative session began on Jan. 13 and saw more bills introduced in the first three weeks than any other short session in recent memory. In fewer than four weeks more than 1,700 new bills were introduced. That doesn’t count the bills that were introduced from last session that were still alive for the second year of the biennium.

With an emphasis on labor and workforce, the State Government Affairs Team worked to activate workers and employers against one of the largest potential policy hurdles of the session: restrictive scheduling.

As a refresher, Senate Bill 5717 and House Bill 1491 proposed a statewide policy that would be even more restrictive than Seattle’s Secure Scheduling Ordinance that went into effect July 1, 2017. For the industries targeted in the bill -- food service, hospitality and retail-the scheduling flexibility these industries depend on would be eliminated, with hefty penalties in place for employers.

Since the last session, Washington Hospitality Association State Government Affairs Team members participated in stakeholder meetings. These meetings proved to be ineffective, as proponents of the bills would not consider the challenges and potential solutions hospitality brought to the table. Your team identified four main areas of concern with the bill:

3. Addressing how franchisees are treated.

4. Addressing the seasonal and weather-dependent nature of food service and hospitality.

With clear guidance from Government Affairs Committee chairs and members, the best option for hospitality was to oppose this legislation this session. During the abbreviated scheduling hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, Steve Simmons from C&G Public House in Kennewick testified on the difficulties providing advanced notice to employees at Martin Stadium in Pullman. The committee also heard from veteran career full-service employees from the Full Service Workers Alliance.

Senate Bill 5717 was declared dead after failing to advance from the committee ahead of the first policy cutoff. Since then, the State Government Affairs Team has confirmed that the bill will not move forward this session.

Although we successfully defeated this bill again this session, the fight is far from over. It will return next session.

In a bid to engage more workers in this debate, as it is a policy that will deeply affect them, we launched a workersonly opt out campaign. With your help in activating your workforces we had 1,063 workers sign up to tell lawmakers they wanted to opt out of the law. These workers sent in over 2,100 emails to their lawmakers telling them the law did not work for them and they wanted out.

1. Addressing the requirement to offer extra hours to existing staff before hiring new staff.

This campaign is the largest and most successful campaign targeted at workers the association has ever accomplished.

2. Creating a voluntary waiver or standby list for employees.

Our success is thanks to you as our members.  March 2020 │ 11

MORE THAN

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HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS

Shaping high school students into managers and chefs with ProStart

By Alina Day

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year hospitality program that develops culinary techniques and management skills in high school students. The industry-driven curriculum links classroom learning with handson experience to develop tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders. Some components students learn include communication, customer service skills, business math and forecasting, workplace and food safety, nutrition and retrieving/storage practices.

Students who complete 400 hours of industry work experience and pass both ProStart exams, receive a nationally recognized Certificate of Achievement.

In spring, students form ProStart teams to compete in the Washington State ProStart Invitational. This is their chance to showcase their skills and knowledge in a head-to-head competition against other schools. Teams fall into two categories—culinary and management.

Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem-solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges daily faced by managers.

The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

Winners are selected from each category and are eligible to compete in Washington, D.C., at the National ProStart Invitational. Nationals is a competition of ProStart teams from across the country and a chance to get scholarships.

This year, the Washington state event will be held at Hotel

RL in Olympia on March 14. Attend the Washington state event and cheer on your local schools! If you hire high school students, reserve a space in our career fair. Both attendance and being in the career fair are free.

Event attendees can also purchase awards dinner tickets. Tickets grant access to a plated dinner with the ProStart teams and the awards ceremony.

Awards include invitational winners, as well as second and third places, Student of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Educator of the Year.

Register for the event at wha.fyi/psi2020. 

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Management Teams Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake Ferris High School, Spokane Northwest Career & Technical Academy, Mt. Vernon Rogers High School, Spokane Culinary Teams Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake Ferris High School, Spokane Mount Si High School, Snoqualmie Mt. Spokane High School, Spokane Newport High School, Bellevue New Market Skills Center, Olympia North Central High School, Spokane Northwest Career & Technical Academy, Mt. Vernon Puyallup High School, Puyallup Walla Walla High School, Walla Walla March 2020 │ 13

MORE

WITH

LESS

HOW CROSS-TRAINING

EMPLOYEES BALANCES RISING LABOR COST

By Jillian Henze, APR, and Iain Woessner

Navigating the increase in labor costs won’t take just one adjustment. Consider making a few changes throughout your operations—a holistic approach.

Washington hospitality experts recommend experimenting with your team roles. Can a host also bus tables? Can housekeeping assist with laundry? Examine how your staff members spend their time and evaluate how you can do more with less in 2020.

Experiment with cross training in restaurants

With minimum wage being as high as it is, Jeff Morgan, CEO of Hops N Drops, said you must look at what you can do across roles to be more efficient. For Morgan, cross-training staff members in various roles is the answer.

“It’s good for us because it helps our team be more productive,” Morgan said.

“It’s good for the guest because at busier times, there are [staff members] who have the expertise to jump around in different positions.”

He said he talks with employees about how this efficient model is a win for the business as well as employees.

14 │ wahospitality.org

“It’s a balance—give the guest a great experience, help the team members grow and strive to be an employer of choice—but help the company grow,” he said.

Morgan talked about helping team members find their second job within his restaurants so they don’t have to also work someplace else. Wearing many hats at the restaurant allows team members to earn more money, get more hours and a higher wage rate.

Because staff members are cross-trained and earning more money there is greater retention, turnover costs go down and productivity goes up.

“It really is all about cross-training—helping people move from the back of the house to front of the house, hourly to salary position,” Morgan said. “For example, with our host, busser and expo positions, we work really hard on making sure those folks go through that progression as quickly as possible. They get to work more hours in more positions. For us, people who are cross-trained helps us do more with less.”

In the back of house, as soon as his team members learn one position, they learn the next position.

“We have hot side, cold side (like a pantry) and prep,” Morgan said. “Cross training people in those areas is always a development path we encourage people to take.”

The ability to cross train doesn’t remain front-of-house and back-of-house at Hops N Drops. Morgan said he offers employees to train and transition from one to the other. It’s about giving the team members the opportunity to grow and develop, he said.

And Morgan said you can learn from his past mistakes.

He recommended restaurant owners and managers sit down and ask employees how they want to grow and try to figure out how to support that. But, he urges, you must be honest and sincere.

Two things to avoid: Don’t try and force somebody to grow and cross train if they don’t want to and don’t make commitments and break them.

“We’ll provide the resources and the framework, but they have to drive the development,” Morgan said. “Because they’re driving their development, the manager isn’t getting overwhelmed or overcommitted, they’re just helping along the way.”

Create opportunities, retain good workers in lodging

It’s not just restaurants that benefit from investing more in the employee. Cross-training has been a successful part of Namaste Cousins’ Holiday Inn express in Sequim, and she’s incorporated it into their business model for the past two years.

“We started … when we first started seeing the minimum wage hikeups, we used to be a primarily part-time employment status hotel,” Cousins said. “We found that retaining employees … was a lot easier when we were able to offer them more.”

These were challenging changes to implement, Cousins acknowledged—in taking part-time staff to full-time, it creates the added cost of providing benefits to them. But that additional cost is far preferable, she said, to the hardship and cost of recruiting and hiring new workers.

“Just the cost of replacing an employee these days is so high. Right now it’s better to retain, we don’t have to pay for recruitment, for training … it’s been very beneficial,” Cousins said. “Primarily we cross-over with laundry and housekeeping and breakfast bar and housekeeping. We do have some staff that go up and inspect rooms with the housekeeping.”

Quentin Incao, CEO of Q Hospitality Management, also said he’d seen success in consolidating positions at hotels.

“We did actually start doing that this year, purely out of lack of finding qualified talent and/or getting longevity out of talent,” Incao said. “We started morphing a couple of positions.”

By merging his prep cook and dishwasher positions together, he was able to provide the opportunity for a well-seasoned dishwasher to gain much-needed prep cook experience.

“As time permitted and dishwashing slowed down … because of the proximity of the kitchen, the head chef would teach them how to prep, how to slice and dice and peel,” Incao said. “That somewhat eliminated the need for additional prep cooks.”

This worked out well for employees wanting to grow and develop professional and those wanting for more hours. It’s a model Incao expects to continue with in the future.

“That model is actually what we’re going to take into 2020, we’re not going to look for separate prep cook or separate dishwashers, we’re going to look for both,” Incao said. “It’ll be a combined position.”

In terms of executing this change, Cousins said the biggest trouble can be in scheduling. A schedule is great in theory, but in execution if you have employees with multiple positions, sometimes some tasks require additional time.

“Sometimes you think you have a plan that is going to work … (then) If anything happens in that day that is unexpected it can gouge into that,” Cousins said. “We need two people in laundry but the employee who is supposed to be in there is still facilitating breakfast.”

To address this, Cousins found a solution in hiring multiple managers, even for a small hotel. She said she has four.

“Those people can jump into whatever position they need to,” she said.

The golden rule always applies, especially to your employees – treat them well, and consider what they could hope to gain in the long-term from their time at your business.

“I think the general rule is treat your people right, offer them more than is expected,” Cousins said. “Our hotel has gone into things like … offering additional training outside of their realm of work … not everyone working in the hotel (will go into hospitality).”

As long as there’s mutual respect, an employer-employee relationship can definitely benefit from added responsibility— coupled with opportunity.  March 2020 │ 15

Five great habits to motivate young workers

By Iain Woessner

Here are five free actionable steps any hotel or restaurant of any size can take to instill enthusiasm into their employees.

1.

Share in the vision.

From the start—even as early as the interview process —be open and honest to prospective employees about just how far in your business they can rise, what potentials they can tap into, should they work hard and learn well. You don’t have to go it alone – the Washington Hospitality Association provides a hospitality career navigator, which can allow any employee of any level chart out the many wonderful paths their career could take them, should they stay the course.

2.

Knowledge is king.

Everyone in your organization, especially supervisors and managers, should have a functioning knowledge of how their business is run. Before anything else, the owners, operators, general managers and supervisors of any hospitality business should understand how their business works from top to bottom.

3.

Show, don’t tell.

“There’s just so much knowledge … you go into it not confident you’re doing it right because you don’t know what you’re doing,” Alyssa Flores, training programs coordinator for the Washington Hospitality Association Education Foundation said.

“Demonstrating and showing people how to do something is a huge thing, because people say ‘do this’ and they don’t show how to do it and kids are running around and they’re like ‘I’m just going to improvise’.” When it comes to serving food and caring for guests, improvisation is simply too risky. For leaders like Jaime Fox, director of training and safety for Hops n Drops, the training process seems to 16 │ wahospitality.org

provide this confidence and let the employees develop the right mindsets for the everchanging world of hospitality.

“In our classroom style of training we may do something called situations and scenarios, I have a younger team member and an older couple that is joining them, you need to seat them, what are your considerations?” Fox said.

“Really running them through things they’d experience, make suggestions outside the box, so they learn to think that way. Then there’s fellowship training, shadowing a host … where we can role model that and help them learn that.”

This advice is equally as valuable to hoteliers as it is restaurants. Scott Snofsky, current general manager of Delta Hotels by Marriott Phoenix Mesa, in Arizona and a former general manager of Hilton Garden Inn in Bellevue, said that managers need to be supportive of employees as they learn the ropes.

“You just have to be constantly present,” Snofsky said.

“Every hotel brand has the five steps to this or the 10 steps to that. Everyone watches a video with smiling people, but none of that matters if in the moment people are left on their own, they don’t have a model for that behavior when things go sideways because it always goes sideways.

They need to have somebody with them, watching them, knowing what they’re doing is important and they need to know that somebody cares about the job they do. I don’t know if that’s training, but that’s how to ensure great service. It’s muscle memory. It’s all about doing it over and over again.”

4.

Protect your workers.

5.

Communicate and collaborate.

Communication is a chain, it’s essential from every level of the hospitality industry, from the owners to the staff and from the staff to the guests. Communicating your expectations is critical, but especially critical is communicating positive feedback for living up to them.

Positive reinforcement is even more valuable—employees retain positive feedback strongly, and they respond well to being affirmed when they are doing well, rather than being compounded by what they are doing wrong.

“I go out of my way and my managers go out of their way to make them feel special,” Fox said. “Then we just watch them blossom in turn.” 

Nobody likes to make a mistake, and nobody feels good when an entire dinner service is delayed because of their mess up. If a mistake is big or if a mistake is small, an employee is vulnerable in that moment and it is the responsibility of their supervisor to ensure that vulnerability results in a learning moment. Fox recommends redirection over reprimands, and to expand your definition of safety to not simply stop at physical safety, but to safeguard your employees’ emotional health too.

“Knowing that you care about our emotional safety, to feel free to make a mistake,” Fox said. “I think it comes down to the power of a question. A reprimand is never a question … let’s say I’ve seen someone leave the ice scoop in the ice, and I say ‘don’t do that ‘ … instead (I) ask ‘do you know why it’s important to leave that in our holder?’ and explain.”

Explaining the reason behind the practice, why it is valuable, the consequences of failing to live up to that standard – this approach is proven effective to instilling the responsibility of their work into young workers.

March 2020 │ 17

APPRENTICESHIPS THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY EDUCATION

By Alina Day

The cost of labor is a primary concern of the hospitality industry year after year, and we know you are looking for a new and creative solution to that rising cost.

Apprenticeship programs could be that solution.

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship combines classroom instruction with onthe-job training to create job-ready employees and increase the skills of current ones. After thousands of hours of career-connected learning, apprentices complete their program and receive an industry18 │ wahospitality.org

recognized certification. This model not only helps you recruit and train new highly skilled workers, but also retain them.

“Hospitality has a deep history of providing on-the-job training. Most managers and professionals in the industry started as entry-level employees and gained their skill sets by working alongside mentors,” David Faro, director of the Education Foundation said. “Careerconnected learning has been the foundation of hospitality training and education for as long as I have been part of the industry.”

Apprenticeships increase business performance by reducing employee turnover, which means lower training costs and more profit.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 91% of apprentices remain employed after completing their program. Furthermore, the National Restaurant Association states that for every dollar spent on apprenticeship, employers receive an average of $1.47 return in increased productivity.

Training costs are further reduced when employers get funding provided through local workforce boards.

“There’s a lot of incentive to bring apprentices into your operations,” Faro said.

The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act grants access to money, training and development for your employees through apprenticeships.

How can you integrate apprenticeships into your business?

The Education Foundation works closely with organizations across the state to provide state and federally-recognized apprenticeships. These programs provide powerful industry recognition.

There are a few different programs available that you can choose from.

The National Restaurant Association has their own registered apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor called the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship. This program provides courses for both restaurant manager and line cook. Both positions require at least 1,000 (with prior experience) to 4,000 hours of on-thejob-training and an additional 225 hours of supplemental training.

The public and private sectors have also reached out to the Education Foundation to create a state-approved lodging apprenticeship. This program, aimed at being a wideranging hospitality apprenticeship program, is currently in development and will focus on multiple careers available in the lodging sector. Apprentices will have to complete 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and an additional 144 hours of instruction to finish the program.

If you can’t implement an apprenticeship program into your business, try these formalized industry trainings instead.

ServSuccess has three industry-recognized credentials and training that you can provide to your employees. These

certifications require several hours of industry experience, an online course load and a test of knowledge at the end. The Certified Restaurant Professional requires 400 hours of industry experience in both front-of-house and back-of-house to complete.

The Certified Restaurant Supervisor requires 800 hours in a supervisory role and the Certified Restaurant Manager requires 2,000 hours of industry experience in a management role.

High school students who complete the ProStart program, have 400 hours of industry experience and pass two national exams, receive the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement. Look for ProStart graduates at a high school near you.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association also has a variety of professional certifications for the lodging sector.

Courses cover every aspect of the lodging world, including security, revenue manager, hotel administrator, concierge, sales and much, much more. Most positions require hands-on job experience to apply and must pass an exam to prove their knowledge.

The Education Foundation has many on-the-job training opportunities available. Contact Education Foundation Director, David Faro at davidf@wahospitality.org or Training Programs Coordinator, Alyssa Flores at alyssaf@wahospitality. org for more information. The Education Foundation can also be reached by phone at 877-695-9733.  March 2020 │ 19

Labor shortage solution—refugee services

By Iain Woessner

The hospitality industry is suffering from a major labor shortage, and the workers that are available can lack skills, experience or even motivation. You may want to consider looking beyond job placement boards when looking for your next great employee.

Refugee resettlement organizations, like the International Rescue Committee (IRC), prepare refugees to survive and thrive in the workforce.

“The folks we work with are fully employment-authorized as soon as they step off the plane they are able to jump into work without any worries about the I-9 (Form),” Miriam Kasaika, economic empowerment coordinator for the organization, said. “Everyone we’re working with is really motivated to get going. The partnership really goes two ways.”

Refugees passing through the program are prepared for the workforce, with some training programs specifically targeting skills of value to hospitality, Kasaika said. A partnership with Chipotle some years ago led to teaching burrito-making skills. A partnership with a local hotel ultimately informed the organization of the need to provide deeper housekeeping training, going so far as to train prospective employees on specific placement of lotions preferred by this hotel.

“Most of our employer partners will send out a bulletin every week or month to say what positions are opening up,” Kasaika said. “We’ll use that as a guide and we’ll try and

20 │ wahospitality.org

make those connections. So if we know there’s a high-end hotel … we’ll think about the folks we’re working with who have hospitality experience from back home.”

Some Washington Hospitality Association members have already developed good rapport with the organization and report success with the employees they’ve taken on.

“We have had great success with IRC over the past few years,” Brandon Martinez, director of operations for the Seattle Renaissance Hotel, said. “We find that in most cases the personnel we receive from IRC are really willing to work in any position in the hotel and are happy to have opportunities to start a career within this industry.”

Martinez lauded the organization’s offering of on-thejob-skills through its Hospitality Link program to provide employees the skills they’d need to get a great start in hospitality.

“We’ve employed personnel into housekeeping, stewarding, laundry, banquets, bellman, valet and food and beverage,” Martinez said. “We’ve seen most workers start at any entry-level position and then work their way to a promotion within six months to a year.

The organization maintains relationships with employer partners and checks in on the employees matched up with local businesses, to ensure the placement continues to be beneficial to all parties.

“IRC stays hands-on with the workers as they learn English and help to assist with translating and other necessary skills during the onboarding and even months afterwards,” Martinez said. “It’s truly been a great partnership between the Renaissance and IRC.”

the Davenport Hotel Group, Kalispel Linens, Sodexo, Spokane Produce, Holiday Inns, Fairfield Inn, Rockwood Retirement and Panda Express,” Christi Armstrong, employment services director for World Relief Spokane, said. “Over the years we have placed hundreds of people with these businesses and others.”

More information is available at www.rescue.org.

Like the International Rescue Committee, World Relief Spokane provides skills-based training, including soft skills training.

“The feedback I commonly get from employers is that if a person has a solid foundation of soft skills and can manage the complexities of daily life, teaching them job skills is an easier, faster, less-expensive process,” Armstrong said. “We partner with Community Colleges of Spokane and other training programs for specific industry-related skills training.”

World Relief Spokane keeps up with the employees after the placement is made, to ensure all parties are satisfied.

The International Rescue Committee doesn’t reach the whole of Washington state -- it works mostly within south King County, Kasaika said, with some placements going as far as Everett. For hospitality employers on the eastside of the state, though, there are organizations that can fulfill a similar purpose. One of these is World Relief Spokane.

“World Relief Spokane has long-standing relationships with a number of businesses in the hospitality and food service industries in the Spokane area including …

“Our Employment Specialists often accompany clients to job interviews and assist with onboarding paperwork,” Armstrong said. “At times employers have concerns about potential language barriers, many of which can be resolved with the assistance of their employment specialist, who is able to reframe concepts using words within the employee’s vocabulary.”

World Relief Spokane provides interpreter services as well, Armstrong said. Employers looking to connect with them should seek their website worldreliefspokane.org.  March 2020 │ 21

2030: PULSE CHECK

WORKFORCE

RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2030 • NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

MOST LIKELY DEVELOPMENTS BY 2030  Women will hold a larger proportion of upper management jobs in the restaurant industry.  Minorities will hold a larger proportion of upper management jobs in the restaurant industry.

RESTAURANTS ALREADY EMPLOY MORE WOMEN AND MINORITY MANAGERS THAN OTHER PRIVATE-SECTOR INDUSTRY. Our Delphi panel expects that to become even more so by 2030. The restaurant industry of the future will continue to grow its ranks of women and minority leaders as it remains one of America’s most diverse sectors.

The Delphi panel agrees that there will be continued competition for employees in the restaurant industry, and that the average number of employees per restaurant is likely to decline. Employers are likely to use compensation and benefits to attract new talent. Technology skills will be needed to ensure the staff is able to deal with automation and robotics, data analytics and more. Yet even with enhanced use of technology to drive productivity, panelists expect the industry to remain very labor-intensive.

With demographic trends pointing to continued dips in the number of working teens, panelists predicted an increase in the restaurant industry’s reliance on older workers.

“

CULTURE IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP STAFF.

22 │ wahospitality.org

”

 The average number of employees per restaurant location will decline.  The restaurant industry workforce will become more diverse.  The restaurant industry will remain very laborintensive despite technological developments.

LEAST LIKELY DEVELOPMENTS BY 2030  The average tenure in the industry for a typical employee will increase.  Younger workers will make up a larger proportion of the restaurant workforce.

2030: THE LANDSCAPE

THE WORKFORCE IN 2030 RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2030 • NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

OLDER ADULTS ARE A GROWING PROPORTION OF THE LABOR FORCE PROJECTED CHANGE IN THE U.S. LABOR FORCE BY AGE, 2018 TO 2028 The number of 16- to 24-year-olds in the labor force is expected to drop by 1.2 million by 2028.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Restaurant Association

4.7

million

4.2

million

1.9

A DROP OF 1.2 MILLION WORKERS IN THE 16 – 24 AGE GROUP

-700,000

AGE 16 to 19

-500,000

20 to 24

million

-400,000

200,000

25 to 34

AN INCREASE OF 6.1 MILLION WORKERS IN THE 65 AND OLDER AGE GROUP

35 to 44

45 to 54

-400,000

55 to 64

65 to 74

75 & older

MAKE A NOTE ...

Older Americans will increase their presence in the workforce.

The number of 65- to 74-year-olds in the labor force is projected to rise by 4.2 million during the next decade, and the number of workers age 75 and older is expected to increase by 1.9 million.

The number of working teens and young adults will shrink.

This will be particularly important for restaurants. Nearly 40% of today’s restaurant workforce is made up of 16- to 24-year-olds, much higher than this group’s 12% representation in the U.S. workforce overall. The number of 16- to 24-year-olds in the labor force is expected to drop by 1.2 million by 2028, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections.

March 2020 │ 23

Sponsored Content

Transitioning Employees in a Business Sale While a simple asset such as a vehicle, boat, or investment property can just be sold, a business must be transitioned. In a sophisticated, nuanced sale of a business, a transition of many moving parts must occur for a transaction to successfully be completed. Depth of market knowledge, industry experience, and relevant, professional skill set are required to successfully navigate the highly nuanced process of transitioning a business.

Customer, vendor, and landlord relationships are all prime examples of transactional pieces that can be damaged in transit and need to be handled with care if a business is to continue operations at historic levels or better under new ownership.

Washington’s current robust, economic climate has gone hand in hand with increased labor challenges for business owners, retaining existing employees through the change of ownership has been a key focal point in many recent IBA facilitated transactions.

The Seller In the interest of maintaining profitability and maximizing their retained earnings while still at the helm, the sellers should continue running the business effectively until the official change of ownership has occurred. This objective will be challenging to accomplish if the workforce gets wind of the sale in a form of a rumor or incomplete, inaccurate information, and begin to view their current employment as temporary while actively seeking other opportunities. The narrative around when and how the news of the sale is delivered to the staff will have significant implications on the seller’s remaining tenure as the owner of the company. It is important to maintain transactional confidentiality until a strategically chosen time of controlled disclosure has been established. A two-part approach, with the initial message delivered by the seller to the staff, followed by an introductory meeting with the new owner is an effective strategy I commonly employ as a professional intermediary. Regardless of the format, the messaging should be tailored to convey confidence in the future of the business and alleviate concerns regarding job security.

The Buyer Assuming the new owner has invested in the acquisition of profitable business model, it is not in his or her best interest to come in with landslide human resources modifications.

Due diligence, review of financial documents, and operational knowledge conveyed by the departing owner will provide a solid base of foundational knowledge to the buyer about the business.

A buyer’s previous relevant experience will also help facilitate a smooth transition. But historical information about the business is merely a freeze frame, peekaboo view of the overall landscape and even the most seasoned entrepreneur will only be able to draw so many parallels from one venture to the next. In the initial stages of transition, the new owner will often rely on the seasoned group of employees to supply the tacit knowledge required to successfully navigate the day to day operations.

24 │ wahospitality.org

Deferring to experienced staff, and accepting the temporary, but a somewhat conflicting and uniquely hybrid position of authority and apprentice is the new owner’s fast track to gaining a full, comprehensive understanding of operations and ultimately becoming an effective, knowledgeable decision maker.

The Lender Most purchasers will seek financing to complete the acquisition of a business. The public domain widely recognizes the financials of the business and the borrower as staple components of successfully securing funding for the transaction. The lesserknown, key pieces heavily impacting the decision of the lenders are the buyer’s relevant experience, transitional training provided by current ownership, and the carry over of the existing staff. For the business to continue operating at profitability and service the debt, a clear roadmap of the transfer of operational knowledge will need to be put in place. While the departing seller’s training obligations are certainly reviewed by the lender and taken under advisement, the remaining relationships between the buyer and the existing employees are considered to be far more impactful on the long-term well being of the business. Perspective lenders will frequently monitor any fluctuations in the staff throughout the loan application process. Substantial changes in the labor pool, especially key employees, can be viewed as either a decrease in the value of the business or increased risk of lending.

As a result, terms of the loan may be amended or financing pulled altogether.

A Common Goal Once the terms of the deal have been agreed upon, the buyer and seller should begin to work collaboratively to smoothly transition the staff. Coordinating a strategic disclosure to deliver the news to the staff will require thought and planning and should take place at a transactionally stage appropriate time.

Absent of the control of timing and messaging, the narrative can adopt an unpredictable character of its own, creating an environment of uncertainty, and damaging employee morale.

Handling the transition of employees with care will benefit both parties in achieving a common goal and ensuring the continued success of the business in the future.

IBA is Northwest’s oldest business brokerage serving entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry since 1975. We welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and experience with business owners. 100% of IBA’s commission fees are paid on performance at completion of the sale, including providing a professional opinion of market value of a business for potential clients. For more information, please contact Oliver Kotelnikov in the IBA’s hospitality industry transaction group at (425) 454-3052 or oliver@ibainc.com.

Member Spotlight:

Vashon Island Baking Company—a bakery for the community

By Iain Woessner Vashon Island lies off the coast of Seattle, and the only way to access this idyllic island is by ferry. Secluded in this way, Vashon holds many hidden treasures—not the least of which is the sixyear-old Vashon Island Baking Company, a delectable bakery that serves visitors and community members alike the best hand-crafted baked goods around.

“We’re a bakery in a very small community and we try to be the bakery that folks go to for their birthday cakes, for their breakfast pastries,” Samantha Weigand, owner/pastry chef of Vashon Island Baking Co said. “We have a lot of croissants on the menu. Everything is handmade, in-house…we don’t outsource our dough.”

Weigand came up in the hospitality industry. Her experience taught her just how important the human-element of the industry is.

“I love the people I work with, because it’s really about people.

They ask me all the time ‘oh, you own a bakery, you love to bake’ and I say ‘so little of my time is baking and so much of my time is working with employees’,” Weigand said. “So to be able to be an employer in a small community and to have people live and work in the place where we are is really important to me.”

Vashon Island Baking Company bills itself as the only place on Vashon where customers can get both handcrafted pastries and island-roasted coffee, and the menu features a rotating selection of sweet and savory croissants. Additionally, it serves up birthday cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies and seasonal chocolates -- with gluten-free and vegan options available. It works with other dietary restrictions as well, provided they are given at least 48 hours advance notice to accommodate.

For the island of Vashon, whose community is unincorporated, it has come to pass that the businesses in the area really tend to take the reins when it comes to leading the community.

“We’re unincorporated. There’s no town here—a lot of our identity as a community is based on our connection to the businesses, where we get our coffee, where we get our pastries, where we eat dinner … it’s all part of our town,” James Marsh, executive director of the Vashon Island Chamber of

Commerce, said. “A lot of what’s done in the community is based on the businesses deciding things like ‘we’d like to have a holiday Winterfest tree …They help define a lot of the things that make Vashon unique and make it an interesting place to live.’”

Regarding the baking company in particular, Marsh said Weigand had purchased what had once been an existing bakery, and reinvented that spot in her own image.

“She took some of the favorites (from the previous bakery) and kept that going,” Marsh said.

“When she moved in, she made sure to get local artisans making the furniture, using local coffee roasters, she really did a lot to work with local businesses.”

Having sharpened her skills in the hospitality industry, Weigand said she’s had several role models and mentors over the years.

“I’ve had several pastry role models, several chefs that inspired me such as Mark Ramsdell and Roland Mesnier, a couple of business role models,” Weigand recalled. “Liz Davis owned a small creamery in Alexandria, Virginia, and she was my first role-model as a woman-owned business. Before that I worked for a lot of men.”

Reflecting on the differences between male and femaleoperated businesses, Weigand said that it’s important for women coming into the industry to understand the sometimes hard choices that come along with it.

“I think a lot of women in my generation grew up with the idea that we could have it all and that’s not true. Everything is a choice,” Weigand said. “So when I have women coming up, I try to stress that nobody can have it all. We all have to choose based on our priorities, so make sure that it is a conscious choice. I love having flexibility in my schedule because I do have little children and I knew that restaurants were a place where I could have a very flexible schedule.”

In addition to the bakery, Weigand also owns the Glass Bottle Creamery, a local grocery that sells raw milk, eggs, cheese and ice cream.  March 2020 │ 25

Member Spotlight:

Maitland Manor—A bed & breakfast for everyone

By Iain Woessner

Maitland Manor embodies the best of the many wonderful elements that make the Evergreen State enchanting.

Located right in the scenic city of Port Angeles, just up the hill from the waterfront, this Victorian-style bed and breakfast looks upon both the mountains and the sea, its historic aesthetic giving way to a modern interior decor. High-speed fiber optic internet and smart TV’s join a suite of modern comforts to ensure you truly have it all.

“There is a bed and breakfast for everyone,” Sydney Rubin, co-owner of Maitland Manor along with her husband Alex, said. “We take the responsibility of making the stay special for all of our guests very seriously.

We know that when you go on vacation and you are getting away, you’ve probably spent a fair amount of money … the littlest thing can change the trajectory of your trip and we wanted to take the responsibility that we are adding onto your travels and not detracting from them.”

Comforts include full gourmet breakfasts served each morning at 8:30 a.m.

The Manor boasts locally-sourced ingredients. Special arrangements can be made so that guests receive a packaged breakfast sandwich to take with them as they enjoy the sights and features of Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula.

For the Rubins, the Manor embraces a shared love of hospitality that they’ve held for years.

“We spent over 30 years in the broadcast industry as journalists and decided that we wanted to do something else -- we weren’t ready to retire,” Rubin said. “We wanted to get out of the TV industry and always had a love of entertaining 26 │ wahospitality.org

and cooking and we had talked over the years about having a bed and breakfast, so we just decided we were going to go after that dream.”

This is a big new adventure for the Rubins, whose bed & breakfast has only been open just shy of a year, but they said they were fortunate not to have to go it alone.

“We have to give a shout-out to the Washington Independent Inns network, which is the state organization for small lodging, boutique and bed and breakfasts … we actually joined their aspiring innkeepers program and we were paired up with three sets of mentors who really walked us through,” Rubin said. “A lot of it is still self-taught, but we felt we were prepared to open thanks to all the help we got.”

The historic manor is well-situated in Port Angeles, and Marc Abshire, executive director of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, said he was glad to see it in good hands.

“We’re very pleased to see Sydney and Alex take on this important property in our community,” Abshire said.

“Historically, it’s been in a key location in our town and to have them take that on and preserve it and use it for the enjoyment of all the visitors who come to our area is a positive.”

Maitland Manor is open year-round. Its three rooms feature en suite private bathrooms, and its front door is secured by an electronic smart lock, providing state-of-the-art security while maintaining a charming vintage aesthetic. You can book ahead of time and request special accommodations, as well as check out beautiful photos of the location, at their website www.maitlandmanor.com. 

Giving thanks to our sponsors & participants The Washington Hospitality Association would like to thank the following sponsors and participants for making Hill Climb and Taste Our Best Legislative Reception 2020 a success.

Presenting Sponsor

Diamond Event Sponsor

Coffee Sponsor

Gold Event Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

PUB & EATERY Est. 2009

FARRELLI’S pizza

DuPont, WA

Bronze Event Sponsor Cottage Bakery & Deli

Participants

R

INDUSTRY CALENDAR March/April

SERVSAFE® MANAGER

NEW MEMBERS Backyard BBQ, Kettle Falls

McCloud’s Grill House, Bremerton

Best Western Snowcap Lodge, Cle Elum

McDonald’s #12247, Othello

Dairy Queen, Pacific

Mecca Café, Seattle

Eagles Ice Arena, Spokane

Merman Hospitality LLC, Pullman

Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma

O’Doherty’s Irish Pub, Spokane

Fire Artisan Pizza, Spokane

Old Town Station, Union Gap

March 9

Harbor Foodservice, Kent

March 19

Bargreen Ellingson, Tacoma

Fort Worden Public Development

Paragon Seattle, Seattle

March 26

Sysco, Spokane

Authority, Port Townsend

PNW Concessions LLC, Kent

April 7

Bargreen Eliingson, Seattle (SODO)

Freestone Inn & Cabins, Mazama

Quality Inn & Suites Liberty Lake

US Foods, Everett

Hotel Indigo, Spokane

Seattle Airport Marriott, Seatac

Jeremy’s Farm to Table Restaurant,

Shelburne Hotel, Seaview

Chehalis

Skyline Hospitality LLC, Tumwater

Lady Yum LLC, Seattle

Sully’s Bistro & Bar, Suquamish

Lionhead, Seattle

That’sa Some Pizza Inc., Bainbridge Island

Lumi Dessert Café, Lynnwood

Virginia Inn, The, Seattle

Mashiko, Seattle

Vita Coffee LLC, Seattle

April 20

View full class list and register at: whaef.org//training-schedule 360-956-7279

MEETINGS March 4

Seattle Restaurant Alliance Member Meeting

March 11

Seattle Restaurant Alliance Board Meeting

March 12

Seattle Hotel Association Board/Member Meeting

April 8

Seattle Restaurant Alliance Board Meeting

April 9

Seattle Hotel Association Board Meeting

UPCOMING EVENTS March 10

Hospitality Summit, Spokane

March 14

ProStart Invitational 2020 @ Hotel RL Olympia

April 13

Hospitality Summit, Tri-Cities

April 20

Hospitality Summit, Peninsula

April 28

Hospitality Summit, King County

May 4

Hospitality Summit, Pierce County

Maverick Gaming LLC, Renton

NEW ALLIED MEMBERS Brunswick Bowling Mark Lambourne 525 W Laketon Ave Muskegon, MI 49441-2601 luchi.nelson@brunswickbowling.com 231-725-4673 brunswickbowling.com

Draco Hygienic Products Cole Wilcox cole@draco.com 716 S Bon View Ave Ontario, CA 91761-1913 909-933-1000 www.draco.com

Guests staying at hotels and resorts are ready for fun, which means adding bowling creates another lane for increased revenue. Bowling provides venues for corporate events and gives guests another reason to stay on the property, which encourages both business travelers and families of all ages to stay longer and spend more.

Brunswick Bowling Products has led the global bowling industry for more than 125 years. No other manufacturer can compete with Brunswick’s formidable experience, product functionality and performance, superior value, and long term ROI. Learn more at brunswickbowling.com/bowlingcenters/build-a-center/markets/resort-hotel. To contact a Brunswick sales representative, call 1-800-YES-BOWL (outside the USA, dial 1-231725-4966).

Draco is an OEM manufacturer of away from home soap, air freshener, and towel dispenser systems.

We are specialized in hygienically sealed dispensers with capabilities in custom designs to meet the changing demands of industry.

CJ Consulting Services Caun Knapp 6616 High Point Dr SW Seattle, WA 98126 info@cjconsultingservices.com 425-417-0671 www.cjconsultingservices.com Project Management, Permitting and Code Compliance, Design and Planning, Quality Control, Building Space Site Selection, Corporate Identity Development, Brand Identity

28 │ wahospitality.org

Techwood LLC Fredrick Tuso 121 W Enterprise Rd Shelton, WA 98584-2870 info@techwoodllc.com 360-427-9616 techwoodpanels.com Techwood is a Washington based hardwood components manufacturer that has been providing high quality products to our customers since 1990.

We have supply solid hardwood components to the restaurant, architecture, construction, cabinet, design, and furniture industries. We specialize in premium wood countertops, butcher blocks, restaurant tables, bar tops, work surfaces, cutting board, décor paneling, and premium end grain surfaces. Member offer: 5% off for any association members, including allied members.

True Sync Media John Suryan 4800 Washington St Denver, CO 80216-6363 john.suryan@truesyncmedia.com 800-520-6704 truesyncmedia.com/pnw Bar Branded TV Network

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Control Labor Costs

10/1/2019 3:11:43 PM

With razor-thin profit margins and increasing competition, you need to make every dollar count. An since your workforce represents your largest controllable expense, it makes sense to focus on ways to engage, retain, and better manage your staff.

Our automated HCM solution can help you eliminate paper processses; gain real-time visibility into your workforce across all regions and locations; and provide better, more predictable schedules to help ensure the right person is in the right place at the right time.

Increase Employee Engagement and Productivity When employees aren’t engaged, it’s a sign they’re not happy and also not being productive. And that means they’re not engaging patrons to deliver the quality experience your guests expect.

Our HCM solution for Food Service provides the self-service tools that help your staff stay engaged, happy, and productive. Mobile capabilities allow employees to view schedules, manage takss, access and approve timecards, and engage in a simple, efficient, and modern way that works for them and for your managers. With less time spent on such tasks, the more time spend on value-added activities that increase sales and guest satisfaction.

Enhance Guest Experience From the moment your guests walk into your establishment to the moment they leave, they expect an exceptional level of service. And the better your staff is able to engage and provide that anticipated high level of service, the happier your guests will be — and the more likely they’ll return!

Our HCM solution for Food Service provides the workforce solutions you need to help ensure your staff is optimally scheduled, productive, and fullyl engaged to meet the needs of your business and your employees. Because when your workforce is being managed the most efficient way, it allows you to focus on what’s most important — your guests.

Minimize Compliance Risk The spotlight on compliance risk in the food service industry has never shone more brightly than it has in recent years. With legal cases on the rise and proposed changes to the minimum wage varying from state to state — and even city to city — you need the right workforce tools to help ensure you’re protecting your employees and your business.

Tina Bremer | Business Advisor | tbremer@gnsadmin.com CONTACT: Contact: Tina cCONTACT: Tina CONTACT: Bremer | Business | tbremer@gnsadmin.com Wk. #503-972-1949 Cell.Advisor #503-939-8924 Contact: Tina cCONTACT: Wk. #503-972-1949 Cell. #503-939-8924

Tina Bremer | Business Advisor | tbremer@gnsadmin.com

With our single, integrated HCM solution, you’ll have access to real-time, accurate employee data that helps you take a proactive approach to compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), wage and hour laws, minimum wage and tipping rules, and more. You can also import hours and earnings information from unlimited POS systems.

Ask the Expert:

Move Your Concept Forward by Focusing on Value

By Rick Braa, CHAE

My concept seems to be losing relevance. I can see it in my guest count stagnation and the overall lack of excitement in our crew. Sales have been fine, as I’ve adjusted pricing but I can’t do that forever. My concern is within three years we’ll be in a difficult financial position. I’m in the process of planning the next 12 months, where is a good place to start?

During the turnaround of McDonald’s in the early 2000’s, leadership realized the food being produced wasn’t delicious.

They fixed the food first. Next, they realized that having delicious food put into the wrong bag didn’t solve issues, so they focused on speed of service and accurate packing of bags with a smile and appreciation to the guest. Lastly, they focused on the design of the restaurant.

Essentially, they focused on their unique value offering.

According to Technomic, 76% of adults say value is a very important factor when deciding where to dine.

Value has been historically defined as quality, service, atmosphere or convenience compared to price. It is now more complicated. According to Growth Partners LLC, there are eight key components of value today: price, menu customizability, ease of accessibility, speed of service, purpose, what’s cool about you (story) and “ex”perience factor. Start bringing more value to your guest by focusing on these areas first: Product—work through every item on the menu. Focus on what the guest wants when at your restaurant. Take the top 20% of items and build the menu around those items, don’t let ego get in the way. Menus have become more specialized and restaurants are known for specific items. If burgers are the No. 1 seller, work on developing a line that is exciting around burgers and ensure that every burger on the menu is the best it can be. Ensure standards are set and met to deliver your best products at an outstanding level.

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Service—speed of service allows the guest to dine at a customized pace specific to the guest. By having speedy, unhurried, hospitable service the guest feels respected and in charge of their own experience and can customize their experience in the restaurant. Those companies winning in the current environment understand and optimize speed and hospitality.

Design—when restaurants start to slide the design of the restaurant is often cited as the culprit. One easy way to fix design issues is to simply ensure the restaurant is sparkling clean and fresh. The best restaurants are clean in every nook and cranny, so the staff has confidence in the environment in which they are working and the guest feels confident they made the right dining choice. Fix items that are easy to fix. Anything that can be seen or touched by the guest must be right.

No exceptions. Once the restaurant is sparkling clean and fresh, then move on to making the restaurant more visually appealing and improving flow for the ever-changing delivery portion of the business, Guest flow, and speed of service for the staff.

Purpose—why does the business exist and what makes it special? What difference in the world is it making, why should a guest dine-in rather than take-out, how is that purpose delivered consistently with proper messaging? What is the unique value proposition of the restaurant? Define, articulate and communicate your purpose so staff and guests can align with it.

Guests will connect with a business with superior product, speedy service, clean and well-designed spaces who live their purpose. With a fully-engaged guest, sales will increase and profitability will sustain your company for years to come.  For a more information on improving profitability and driving performance, contact AMP Services at rbraa@ampservices.com. Rick Braa is the co-founder of AMP Services, an accounting and consulting firm specializing in helping companies grow profitability.

Put your best

Fish forward.

Food waste is bad enough. Contamination is worse! How do you stop a bad fish from reaching the table? You make sure that your line staff knows the rules, knows how to how to detect bad product, and absolutely knows how to rotate your walk-ins so that you are always putting your best ingredients on the plate. Do your people know how to do that? Let’s hope so.

Safe service is good service.

ServSafe is the best service.

Train your staff today!

VISIT WHAEF.ORG for more info.

SERVSAFE MANAGER HOSPITALITY TRAINING SOLUTIONS March 2020 │ 31

Do you remember the spark you felt when your passion for your industry was ignited?

That same spark is roaring to life in ProStart students around the state for the hospitality industry. Career-connected learning programs such as ProStart develop high school students into the future hospitality workforce.

Watch the next generation of hospitality at work on March 14, 2020 at the ProStart Invitational.

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