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The point of an Observation Shift:
To see if the applicant is a good fit for the position.
Gives the applicant the opportunity to see how the team works
They get to meet the management
See the pace of the restaurant
OBSERVE how the hosts/servers/ etc. work.
How to start your Observation shift:
Welcome them in, introduce yourself as the manager of the location, confirm their name and the time of the observation (we don’t want people doing observations at the wrong location, if that does happen please reach out to your DM)
Show them where they can put their coat/phone/bag.
Have them wear the extra shirt from your filing cabinet.
Let your team know “hi team this is ___ they will be here for an observation shift today” (make the applicant feel comfortable and welcome)
Give them a quick tour!
Show them the host stand- explain how we grab menus, accurate amounts of cutlery, kids menus, crayons etc.
Show them the expo line- where the coffee machine is, ice machine, juice, pop etc.
Make sure they know to say “behind” for the day as if it's a busy day we don’t want anyone getting hurt.
Show them the coffee timer, explain when it goes off what we do
Explain that when someone calls hands on expo, all servers are expected to jump in and assist.
Explain how door is #1 priority and the importance of acknowledging the guests at the front.
Words to not say!
This is a trial shift
“Can you roll cutlery”
“Can you please grab door”
“Can you please run this food”
Avoid asking them personal questions, as this distracts from the purpose of the observation shift
Messages for Managers:
We want to see if the applicant has the initiative and can jump into an unfamiliar environment.
Keep an eye on if they just stand by expo, or actively ask questions or ask where they can help.
We can NOT be instructing them to do tasks for us as that is not an observation shift.
We want to see initiative, TRUE initiative and great future employees will jump in, ask questions without being instructed to do so!
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