Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/235863
Kate Collier: Ninety percent of the staff here at feast! is under 40, talking about your business and their passion with the focus on 70 percent is under 30, and one of the keys to motivating a younger improving their skills and getting good results for the business is staff starts in the interview process: picking young people that really usually fruitful for me. Motivating young workers can sometimes be accomplished want to work here and have a positive and long work history. Best success has come from young people who grew up or worked on by letting them know they are in a great store and it is a job/class farms, started waiting tables as soon as they got their driver's license that they should consider "Retail 101"—only they are getting paid, not having to pay tuition! Teaching and training are important. or have cooked or washed dishes in professional kitchens. Another determining factor is if they "need" the job. We sel- Earning certificates and having titles are important to young dom offer jobs to full-time students with variable schedules or plans people as they improve their skills. They are not college diplomas, to leave town for the holidays. All of this is discussed up front and but sometimes, to me, they are worth more. Encourage them to develop their resume. The odds are pretty dramatically weeds the good potential from the not-so-good. Once on staff, we keep young people motivated by educating good they will not be with you forever. Of course the opportunity them about our food through regular tasting, storytelling and read- might be there to stay and grow with the company, but letting ing requirements. We offer upward mobility to those who show them know you care about their future, even if it is not with you, strong work ethic, those who offer good ideas for marketing and will get you positive results from their work for you. It should be a win-win situation at all times. It teaches growing the business and follow through on them to develop healthy relationships completing extra tasks and those who work with their manager or supervisor, fellow well with the rest of the team. We also offer associates and future employers. Teach team-building opportunities like fun meals "Letting them know them their career should be thought of and parties. We find that young people who you care about their as their own little self-employed business. develop friendships on the job stay around lonfuture, even if it is ger and grow with us. Juliana Uruburu: I inspire them with A final thing we do is establish sales goals not with you, will get the passion that I have found over the years that keep the team motivated. If young people you positive results." working with cheese. I let them know that are working toward challenging goals and are education and learning is No. 1 and that able to attain them, they feel like they are growThe Pasta Shop is dedicated to teaching ing and learning and making progress. our staff about the products, the producMadeline Romo: We give our new, younger employees an oppor- ers and the daily ins and outs of running a successful retail business. tunity to take home product, bake or cook with it and serve it to their I let them know that I want them to grow as individuals within family and friends. In return, we ask them to give us good and bad their work. If someone is an artist, they can help with signage and comments, give recipes with the product and inspire us with their merchandising. If someone is addicted to tetras, they are given the receiving and handling shifts and get to manage the walk-in storage new knowledge. We want our employees to really know the product and be and rotation of products. If someone is a natural-born writer, they excited about it. We want them to pass on their experiences with are paid for time to write for our blog, newsletter or other social the customers. We want them to be able to answer any questions media outlets. It is wonderful to see around the 6- to 8-week period that the customers may have and just have that firsthand experience that they begin to own their position within the job. All staff members are encouraged to train our new employwith the products. Sharing their thoughts with us is always good but mostly it helps keep them up to date on the new items and get ees, which helps to build team camaraderie. Everyone on our staff excited about them. The customers will see their honest enthusiasm becomes an authority and takes ownership of the department. People want responsibility and also want to be recognized for a job and it's always appreciated. well done. I believe that the specialty workforce is changing. They Bob Sickles: Motivating young people is particularly important are interested in learning, growing and bettering their own lives. in ours and many similar industries. When I identify a younger Why not take advantage of these interested young minds and make worker with highly passionate interest in food it is fairly easy to the world a better place by churning out better palates and having get them motivated. It's then most important to see if they have fun while we do it? a work ethic. If they've got it, it is important to pay attention to them, challenge them and push them. Spending time with them Eva Meszaros is associate editor of Specialty Food Magazine. WINTER 2014 119