10 Tips for Creating a Better Company Culture in Your Restaurant

Pay people well

First things first: never forget that the number one reason people go to work every day is to earn money. Paying above and beyond the legal minimum wage is a straightforward way to improve job satisfaction, make recruitment easier and keep people on your team in the longer term. Benefits are a great way to push this even further; you might already be offering free meals on-shift, but are you providing sick pay, offering health insurance or contributing to pensions? 

Treat them like people

When you start viewing your employees as numbers on a spreadsheet or like service robots, your company culture is doomed. Your team is made up of real people with real lives, families and commitments outside of work, as well as real bodies that get tired, sick and broken when they’re over-worked. Make work-life balance a key consideration, building your roster around shorter shifts and rotating team members through weekends wherever possible to ensure that everyone gets an occasional Saturday off. 

Encourage open communication

Coach your management team on the importance of open, honest communication – nobody should be afraid to approach their line manager with a problem, whether work-related or personal. Put regular 1:1 catch-ups in place every month for line managers to check in with their direct reports, providing an opportunity for team members to share how they’re feeling in their roles and ask for help with any struggles they’re experiencing. 

Zero tolerance for bullying

Over the past few years, we’ve seen plenty come to light about the dark side of the hospitality industry. Bullying and harassment have no place in the modern workplace, and it’s time the stereotypical, cartoon-esque angry chef was relegated to the past. Make it clear that it’s company policy for everyone across your entire organisation to treat each other with kindness and respect, regardless of position, race, gender, sex, religion, cultural background – or how busy the floor is that evening. 

Do better at diversity and inclusion

An inclusive workplace is a fair, creative and happy one. Review your recruitment practices and policies to ensure that you’re hiring people from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and socio-economic groups and fostering an environment in which everyone feels respected and valued. 

Prioritise personal development

One of the best ways to keep staff happy and motivated is to provide clear paths for progression and offer opportunities for relevant, practical training and development that help your team members to grow. A culture of continuous learning will benefit the company itself as much as it does individual employees. 

Volunteer as a team

For many restaurants, a significant proportion of staff will come from within the local area. Giving back to this community through volunteering is a great way to boost team morale and build stronger relationships amongst employees, while also bringing other benefits. Include one day of (paid!) volunteering time for your team in your annual calendar. 
 

Encourage an environmentally conscious workplace

More and more research is showing that sustainability is a key consideration for hospitality staff; this is only likely to increase now that Gen Z is entering the workforce. One qualitative study at the end of 2022 found that sustainability “creates a feeling of meaningfulness when such initiatives are implemented at their workplace. Furthermore, the interviewees mentioned that sustainable efforts increase their motivation and satisfaction at work.” There are myriad reasons to make sustainability part of your core business mission; improving employee satisfaction is just the cherry on the sundae. 

Join the #FairKitchens movement

In 2017, following research that highlighted cultural problems in the hospitality (such as extreme overworking and exhaustion, poor mental health and even physical abuse), Unilever Food Solutions joined forces with a group of chefs and partners to initiate the #FairKitchens movement. In the years since, the campaign has garnered support from chefs, operators and hospitality around the world. 

Put all of the above in writing

Creating a positive, healthy work culture is a 'show, don’t tell' situation – it needs to come across in how you treat your team members on a day-to-day basis, no matter how busy the kitchen or how stressful the shift. That said, at The Sustainable Restaurant Association, we’re big fans of written policies. It’s not enough for management to talk about the company culture they’d like to see; businesses need to put those words into actionable policies that prioritise employee wellbeing and job satisfaction. Businesses that commit – in writing – to creating a positive company culture are likely to see benefits like improved recruitment and retention, higher motivation and even increased profits.