A great team of catering staff can really make or break your food service business. The service your staff provides can be the first interaction between your customer and your business, so it’s important the people representing you have the right qualities for the job.

There is a little more to a successful catering team than quality and skills. Here are our top tips to get the best out of your catering team.

Communication

Communication is key when it comes to catering! Without great communication between the team, chaos is a single order away. It’s important that your team are comfortable communicating with each other and that they know how to keep communicating when the pressure is on. A good way to get started is by holding team building events outside of work, allowing the team to bond and get to know one another. You can also practice communication with some games.

It’s also incredibly beneficial for you to get to know, and spend time with your team. Understanding what drives each member, and being able to identify strengths and weaknesses will help you place them in the most constructive role.

Training

Many catering businesses offer ‘on the job’ training to new team members, but this can be overwhelming to the new team player and also risk your businesses reputation when inevitable mistakes are made. Front of house staff will very rarely have any formal training, so it’s a good idea to invest some time developing their skills and installing your company values in them.

Making sure every member of the team has received the same training will set a standard level of service throughout your business. It will also give you an idea of how a candidate may react in a high-stress situation – which (let’s be honest) is quite likely to happen on a number of occasions. We advise working on customer service training with every single member of your catering staff, you never know what situation may arise and it’s good to know everyone knows how to interact professionally with customers.

Have A Plan

The most challenging time for a team is busy periods or ‘rushes’ throughout the day. Have a plan in place for the busy periods so your catering staff can adapt and know exactly how to handle the rush without compromising service or getting stressed.

Having a plan for rushes can also help your team to understand how to manage customers expectations when it comes to increased waiting times. You can go over your rush plan in training and make sure everyone knows what to do when an unexpected rush occurs.

Set An Example

The most effective way of getting the best out of your catering staff is to set the perfect example. Manage your team well, show them how you expect them to behave at work, encourage high performers and lead your catering staff to the perfect service victory!