At the heart of every successful restaurant is a capable workforce, and the key to develop a capable workforce is training. Proper training not only ensures that employees can perform their job duties effectively, but it also contributes to a positive customer experience and overall business success. Due to the nature of restaurant jobs and the industry, restaurants traditionally use various training methods from shadowing, mentoring to in-person sessions and comprehensive training manuals, almost all of which are delivered offline and in-person. However, such traditional training methods can be time-consuming, costly, and difficult to manage, especially for restaurants with multiple locations. That's where an online learning management system (LMS) can make a significant difference.
But first, what exactly is an online learning management system?
An online LMS is a software platform that allows businesses to create, manage, and deliver training content to their employees. With an LMS, restaurants can create courses, quizzes, and other training materials that employees can access at any time and from any location. This means that restaurant employees can learn at their own pace, without the need for on-site training sessions or physical materials.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of an online LMS for restaurants, the features to look for when selecting an LMS, examples of popular LMS options, and best practices for implementing an LMS in a restaurant setting.
Implementing an online LMS for restaurant training offers several benefits. These include:
Smooth operations of a restaurant is heavily dependent on teamwork. Thus, when an employee quits, within the time of hiring and training a new employee, restaurants incur heavy productivity loss. An online LMS can significantly reduce the time of training and onboarding a new employee. The self-paced and often gamified training from an online LMS can help employees retain and apply their learnings more effectively as well, thereby improving employee performance and increasing productivity.
Online learning allows employees to complete training at their own pace, on their own time, and in their preferred location. This flexibility makes it easier for employees to fit training into their busy schedules, making it more likely that they will complete the training and retain the information.
Online learning eliminates the need for printed training materials, compensation and travel expenses for trainers, and costs associated with reserving training space. By moving training online, restaurants can save money while still providing high-quality training to their employees.
An online LMS provides a centralized location for training materials, making it easy to ensure that all employees receive consistent training, regardless of location. This is particularly important for chain restaurants, where consistency across locations is crucial for maintaining brand identity and customer experience.
With an online LMS, restaurant managers can track employee progress, assess training effectiveness, and generate reports on employee performance. This information can be used to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions regarding employee training and development.
Restaurant processes are highly dynamic: processes are changing, new items and processes getting introduced, menus being updated. Restaurants are also subject to numerous regulations and standards, particularly when it comes to food safety and handling. An LMS can help restaurants ensure that their employees are up to date on the latest process and regulatory updates.
According to Pew Research Center, 63% of employees worldwide state lack of advancement opportunities as a key reason to quit jobs. The continuous and transparent training provided by an online LMS can help employees see the growth opportunities that lie ahead. This can motivate employees and even contribute to retaining them.
There are numerous learning management platforms in the market, offering a wide array of features. Before selecting one, it is important to understand what features to look for. While this may vary from one restaurant to another according to their needs, there are some basic features that every restaurant operator should look for:
An LMS should allow restaurants to easily create custom training materials that reflect their specific needs and goals.
Most restaurant employees work in kitchens and restaurant branches, and they don’t have the time or option to complete their training on a laptop in an office setting. An LMS should therefore be accessible on mobile devices, allowing employees to complete training on-the-go.
An LMS should send automated reminders and notifications to employees to ensure that they complete their training on time.
The learning materials should be interactive and gamified, with options such as quizzes, leaderboards etc. so that employees feel motivated to engage with the learning materials and retain the contents effectively.
An LMS should include assessment and evaluation tools such as quizzes and dashboards, so that managers can measure employee progress and training effectiveness.
There are several online LMS options available for restaurants. One example of an online learning management system is spoon.tech, which is designed specifically to cater to the needs of uses AI to easily convert your restaurant processes into engaging and gamified training materials. It checks all the features above, enabling employees to learn, retain and apply their learnings, and managers to plan and monitor the training. Other popular online learning management softwares include TalentLMS, Trainual and SAP Litmos.
Once you have selected which learning management system you want to go with, the next step is to implement it in your restaurant setting. Here are some best practices to follow:
Before implementing an LMS, restaurants should assess the training needs of their restaurant staff. Based on that, they should establish clear training goals and objectives and identify the content that needs to be created or migrated to the new system.
Employees should be informed about the new training system in a clear manner: why it is being implemented, what problems it will address, what goals the restaurant wants to achieve and what benefits it will bring to them. Employee co-operation is essential to implement an LMS and reap its full benefits, and without it, an LMS becomes pointless. Thus, it is essential to obtain buy-in from employees to ensure successful adoption.
While it should be ensured that the LMS is easy and fairly intuitive to use, managers and employees should receive training and support on how to use the new system. Restaurants should provide resources, such as user guides and FAQs, to help employees navigate the system. More often than not, the LMS provider itself provides instructions on how to use their system within their interface.
Restaurants should regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their training programs and make adjustments as needed. This can include updating training materials, adding new modules, or modifying assessment tools.
In conclusion, an online learning management system offers a flexible, cost-effective, and efficient way for restaurants to provide high-quality training to their employees. With the ability to customize training materials, track progress, and generate reports, restaurants can improve the effectiveness of their training programs and, in turn, enhance the customer experience and overall business success. By following best practices for implementation and ongoing evaluation, restaurants can maximize the benefits of an online LMS and set themselves up for long-term success.
If you're looking to take your restaurant business to the next level with LMS tools and other advanced features, spoon.tech can help. To get in touch with us, you can: fill out our contact form, alternatively, you can call us via phone at (+43 670 655 56 82) Or email us at hello@spoon.tech.
Hi, I'm Audri, a Master's student in Digital Economy at Vienna University of Economics and Business, and an enthusiast of the food and hospitality sector. Digital transformation in the hospitality sector is an intersection of my practice and passion, and I love to write on that topic. Let's connect on LinkedIn to chat more!
Hi, I'm Audri, a Master's student in Digital Economy at Vienna University of Economics and Business, and an enthusiast of the food and hospitality sector. Digital transformation in the hospitality sector is an intersection of my practice and passion, and I love to write on that topic. Let's connect on LinkedIn to chat more!
