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Pacific Coast Hospitality

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FOUR HABITS TO APPLY WHEN IT COMES TO GUEST SERVICE FEEDBACK

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With an increasing number of apps like Yelp, Yellow Pages and other review sites, guest service has lost any context for face to face transactions, and has more and more become a “spectator sport”.

When guests are unsatisfied, it’s no longer a private matter.  Outsiders are now witnesses to what once could have been a private matter, but now posted up across apps and other online mediums for all to see.

The transparency of the increasing online world provides both a challenge and an opportunity for restaurants alike.

To embrace the change implement these four guest service habits:

Habit: Follow up with all complaints.
Good or bad, get to replying on all online review mediums.  Every restaurant must commit to answering diner complaints wherever they appear, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, TripAdvisor other local review sites, discussion boards, and even new chat-based tools like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Your guests are selling your brand, so make sure you thank them! Plus, for the reviews that are less than singing your praise, offering an apology and a bonus for giving your place another try… this will speak volumes to all the outsiders reading along.

Habit: Reply to all complaints and feedback quickly.
Did you know, 40 percent of consumers who complain on social media expect a response within one hour, according to Hug Your Haters data.

The guests who keep your business afloat want to hear from you! For many business owners, this may require assigning an online community manager to not only market your business, but to follow up with all comments and reviews left in a timely manner.

Habit: Keep it positive, Polly.
Let’s say, someone just blasted on your world renown menu items via social media… sure it might not seem fair for all onlookers to see such terrible feedback about the menu you’ve worked endlessly to perfect, but it’s their right.

Some will love what you offer and others will be haters. Here’s the bottom line, no matter how ugly, harsh and sometimes downright ridiculous these guest reviews may be, keep positive. Don’t take the criticism personally… acknowledge it and move on.

Habit: Know who complains.
Women complain about restaurants 62 percent more than do men, and women complain about restaurants more than about any other type of business, according to research fom Hug Your Haters.
Whether they are good, bad or crazy, the vast majority-95 percent-unhappy guests will never complain in a way the restaurant can find it. They may say something privately to their friends, but they won’t “raise their hand.” Take it from the facts, this means that the guests who do take the time to complain are doing restaurants an enormous favor by pointing out how the business can improve.
Embrace the feedback, make changes for the better and keep on!

KEY HIRING ESSENTIALS TO AVOIDING TURNOVER

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From what goes on the plates to who serves it, it all comes down to who you hire.  What are they like? How do they interact with the guest? What’s their reaction to conflict? One bad hire can infect and affect an entire staff and bring a line of issues for yourself and your guest.
Beyond a bad hire ruining a guest experience, the cost of a bad hire is high.  According to the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers, the average cost wasted on a bad hire is $20,000 per manager and $2,225 per hourly employee. Let the numbers speak for themselves.
So before your cash goes down the drain and a bad reputation spreads from poor guest experiences, consider these 2 key hiring essentials – it might just save you both time and money!
Hire the candidates with a level of high engagement. 
What’s the employee’s engagement level? It’s a candidates market and individuals are looking for the greatest and newest opportunities consistently.  Beyond the hire that stands out on paper with the skills to perform well, who are the ones with a genuine interest in the food and beverage industry as a whole? They are the ones likely to be satisfied in your working environment and therefore a steady employee.
More than just engaged in the industry, hire the candidate with shown social engagement skills too.  When employees are socially engaged in their career, guests notice it too. So what’s “socially engaged” mean? We’re talking about the candidates who like to lend a helping hand to their fellow co-workers, find importance in celebrating accomplishments and are not out to just make a buck or two…We’re talking about the ones who speak with the guest dining and are eager to ensure their experience is the best and most welcoming possible. Whether you’re after a close knit family culture, a strong team emphasis or any other cultural work ideas, hire the candidates who have shown you the social skills to meet your goals.  Your guest and other employees will thank you for the engagement levels each new employee possesses.
Hire the candidate you have screened fully.
It’s the 21st century and that means a whole new world of opportunity to automate the age-old hiring process.
From online applications to personality test, take advantage of the tools available to help “do the legwork” for you to weed out the candidates who don’t make a qualified fit.  Find out more than just previous work history and education… discover their character and outlook on work with a variety of online questionnaire surveys.
There’s far more to screening a candidate for hire beyond a one-time face to face interview.  In fact, it’s the hires that you interview one time with just a paper application who are costing you the big bucks we call turnover.  One example to setting an automated screening process to help eliminate high turnover rates could include setting up online surveys for previous employers and references to reply with detailed information on each candidate’s performance.
There’s more to the age-old practice of hiring than ever before… what are you doing to make it not only hard for candidates to want to walk away from your company after their hire, but before even accepting the position to ensure you’ve got the right hire?

4 Ways to Improve Your Hospitality Hiring Process

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Hiring the right people and limiting employee turnover are two of the biggest challenges every hospitality manager faces. Bad hiring decisions can affect customer satisfaction, team morale, & increase turnover. Fortunately, making good hiring decisions will have the opposite effect. Use these 4 tips to be sure that you’re investing your time training people who plan to stick around and will be a positive addition to your team.

 

Cast a Wide Net: What’s the first step to be sure you attract the best candidates? Be sure they know about the opening. Don’t just post a position to your website & hope for the best. You want to get your job listing in front of as many job seekers as possible. Tell current employees, put notices where your target employees would see them, add the listing to online career boards in your area, and post on job boards specific to your industry like Hcareers.com. The more applications and resumes you receive, the better your chances of finding a stand out candidate.

 

 

Interview Each Candidate Consistently: Every candidate brings something different to the table. There are those with stellar resumes but a more reserved personality, and those who will walk into an interview & win you over with their confident demeanor before you even glance at their experience. It’s important to know exactly what qualifications are needed to effectively fill your opening & then interview each candidate consistently to find the best fit. Don’t let a big personality win you over without asking them the same questions as everyone else to be sure the skills are there as well.

 

Consider Your Current Staff: A team that works well together is the key to a successful business. You need to hire a team player who fits in with the way your current staff works. Be sure to ask questions in the interview about the candidate’s past team performance and be on the lookout for too many answers that begin with “I” rather than “we”.

 

 

Emphasize Long-Term Benefits: This is the best way to find employees who will stick around. Interviewing and training new employees takes time and costs your business money, so you want to be sure you’re investing in people who are in it for the long haul. But potential employees want to know what’s in it for them too. You should discuss benefits such as vacation time & health insurance. Great employees are also looking at long term goals, so consider implementing mentoring and professional education opportunities as well.

 

 

PUTTING “HOSPITALITY” BACK INTO THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

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Whether you own the finest dining in town or the cafe on the corner, what’s happened to hospitality in the restaurant industry?
True hospitality in a lot of cases is simply a lost art.  Not so long ago you would have been greeted at the door of anyplace, the gas station attendant would wash your windshield and the host would happily take your coat upon arrival for dinner.
For every owner, front of house host and server, we know what you see when dining out the good, bad and ugly of hospitality. So if it’s been seen, what’s the hold up to putting it in play on the job?
Perhaps the answer lies in the basics of hiring and what we do with new staff once we’ve hired them. Restaurants are very much transient employers. People come and go and, unfortunately, service is negatively affected by turnover. Unless you have figured out that regular and consistent training is the absolute foundation of your restaurant and your first priority, your guest experience will be inconsistent at best.
The key in hiring is to look for approach, attitude and true desire to serve over prior experience. If these core values are present and you take the time to develop and train your fledgling staff, your customers will notice and reward your restaurant with their business. Once you believe in and practice effective consistent training and recognize and reward your standouts, your restaurant will have a lasting powerful advantage over your competitors. This is a simple concept, yet too often overlooked with all the other important details in running restaurants.
Don’t let hospitality be a lost art in your restaurant. Develop a new game plan that begins with your staff understanding and practicing the nuances of what service really means and what your guest seeks. Train consistently, over deliver on each guest’s expectations and take pride in sustaining the magic.

5 WAYS TO MAKE EMPLOYEES LOVE THEIR JOBS

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It’s no secret that employees want to love their jobs and when they love their jobs, it ultimately means less turnover for your business.  Whether you’re looking to increase employee performance for your longstanding restaurant or are just starting out on a new venture and at the core deeply desire to build a highly desired work culture, you are the key to making employees

love their jobs.
We’ve rounded up five sure-fire ways to help your employees love working for you:
1. Money speaks, but so do other benefits. Love what you’re seeing from a manager? Appreciate it with a small raise in salary.  Along with a higher paycheck, offer benefits of all types that help to engage employees in your company – whether it be a free meal during each shift or a company wide dinner on you, no strings attached, offer the perks.  Employees go where they are given the most, and that includes what is offered beyond just a paycheck.
2. Did you know what technology you have impacts employees view of working for you? Whether it’s the latest software or computers, employees view the technology that aids their job as a huge part of their decision to stay or go.  Get the latest, keep it cutting edge.
3. You want employees to see you as a leader? Cancel the useless meetings and when you do have mandatory meetings, make them worth it. It all goes back to item #1 on this list, employees want benefits and not just cash. Try catering a local competitor for your next mandatory staff meetings – see how it encourages your own staff to “step up their game” and stay above the competition. Plus, your employees will love a free treat and appreciate the time they didn’t spend in hours of meetings boasting of low productivity!
4. Go beyond what happens inside your four walls. Each employee you hire has personal goals and ideas for where they see their future going. Engage in conversations to help make their goals happen. As an employer you hold the power to develop leadership skills which can prepare each employee for their next step. Get creative about how you can offer extra responsibilities to create outstanding character and prepare them for what’s to come.
5. Tune in! It’s time you start listening to employee suggestions. Sure you’ve held that annual staff meeting where you note down suggestions, but listening to employees goes far beyond that. Need a place to start? Hang up an “Idea Board” where employees can easily write up problems and solutions to help make their jobs better – and follow through with helping to make solutions a reality.
After all it’s no surprise that employees who like their job, enjoy the company culture and respect who they work for will ultimately perform better.  Get started today creating simple and smart ways for employees to speak up and be heard, feel appreciated for their hard work and enjoy their job on a multitude of levels.

THE LIFESTYLE OF SEATTLE

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Seattle is only the beginning.   Beyond looking for a new career, look for a new destination to plant and root yourself in as part of growing professionally while enjoying your lifestyle to the fullest.
As a resident of Seattle you’re in for an all around exceptional lifestyle thanks to your Pacific Coast location.  You’ll never get over the view of the mountains with Mt. Rainier and the Cascades in sight if it’s a clear day in your backyard.  Plus, when the warm months finally arrive and it’s summer in Seattle, it’s amazing. It’s hot and sunny, but rarely humid or muggy – so say goodbye to all that frizzy hair you may know a little too well living in the Midwest.  But may we be the first to warn you to take note, Seattle is not made for snow.
Spend your weekends meeting new friends at the famous Pike Place market where it’s a one stop shop for fresh flowers, seafood, produce and more!
And when it’s back to the workweek, kickstart your morning with a jolt, as Seattle holds the most coffee shops per capita in the United States, so you won’t be without that warm cup of coffee to get you going each day.
 Engaging in Pacific Coast Hospitalities job openings can launch you into the Seattle market that tops any hospitality job in a traditional standpoint.  Be presented with a career where there is opportunity to maximize the skills you know you portray, and discover a greater passion behind your work.
 
Explore the possibility of reaching an optimal work-life balance from the many benefits of living in the Pacific Northwest region. 
 
Explore the reality that your work matters.  What you do and the decisions you make will have a direct impact on results with the career openings we are currently looking to fill.
 
Explore a career that will not be incidental, but will be the path you choose and don’t regret. 
Seattle, a location PCH places top hospitality candidates regularly and with confidence.  With open positions for Restaurant Managers and Chefs alike, find your place to come alive and design your perfect career centered around an exciting and growing city.

AMERICA’S BEST EATS

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America has spoke up! From East to West Coasts, the cities with the best food may surprise you.
To be a great food city, it helps to have a large body of water nearby, a classic dish or three, and a population with a fondness for drink.
 Measured by the Washington Post against a set of standards – for creativity, community and tradition, among other criteria – it’s here,  The Top 10 list of America’s Best Food Cities.
Ranking at the top, the Pacific Coast hosts a surplus of cities for dinning with specialty.  Claiming the top three spots, San Diego and Los Angeles follow Portland as America’s best food city.

Surprising? While normally the assumption of New York or Chicago would quickly come to mind, the Pacific Coast region is making a rise and a name for its’ grub.

Portland’s food scene does not disappoint, while continually keeping things a little more green with a strong reputation for being a republic of tree huggers with a surplus of dishes featuring local grown produce.  As one of the best places to enjoy everything from specified menus created by world renowned chefs to longstanding home style establishments, your pallet won’t go dull – and it’s no wonder Portland has been ranked America’s best food city.
What’s this mean for restaurant businesses and candidates looking for a career in the industry?
 The time is here to rise beyond the expectation of the nations best plates and explore future possibilities for new dining experiences.
Whether you’re on the horizon of expansion and need top chefs, restaurant mangers or are looking to expand your career to another level, we can help.
After 30 years of restaurant management hiring, we have the passion, the know-how and the network to bring you the best, fast.

Arriving at a Destination Lifestyle Career

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Did you know??….

Studies by the World Travel & Tourism Council show that the hospitality industry is the world’s largest employer worldwide hiring one in 12 workers, and this number is set to grow.

The chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re one of them, working as part of this vast hospitality industry, serving, managing, cooking, etc. You probably also know exactly why your industry is so popular, and why so many people want to work in it. Yes, the shifts can be long and tiring, but you’ll rarely find someone with a hospitality career who doesn’t have a passion for it.

The hospitality industry offers a surprisingly wide variety of jobs across a broad range of sectors, but what REALLY is the lifestyle of a career in the hospitality industry entail?

Working in a hotel is just one of the many avenues a career in the hospitality industry could host. Offering a variety of careers in positions including tourism boards, online travel companies, destination lodging hotspots, spas, fine cuisine establishments and even vineyards all can fall under the category for employing the hospitality industry.

As an ever-growing field with many opportunities to develop and obtain management positions, the potential for growth does not top out. With a desire to give exemplary customer service, work hard and be a team player, many people can find rewarding management careers in the hospitality industry.

With working for a private owned company to one of the Pacific West’s most desirable outdoor recreation resort communities, the reality of work life balance can be achieved. Living in a city where tourism is popular and the rate of pay for your hard work matches the grade for a quality life, your career won’t leave you wishing for more. Plus, as the industry continues to boom, the competition for top careers in the nations most beloved locations will increase long after you already have been placed ahead of the competition.

Beyond the workplace, the ability to explore your surroundings, meet people from all over, live in a spectacular setting, and discover new passions will only be the beginning of the benefits.

We are seeking a talented and ambitious candidates with excellence in motivating and coaching a talented staff to deliver an outstanding experience to guests while upholding top-notch standards in food and beverage quality.

Whether looking for a career advancement or uproot from your current location, maybe the hospitality lifestyle holds an opportunity for you? Apply today.