A Thanksgiving Feast of Service: Finding Heart in Hospitality

Posted on by zippybeck

As the golden leaves of autumn herald the approach of Thanksgiving, a time steeped in the Norman Rockwell-esque Americana of family, gratitude, and, of course, a bountiful feast, we in the restaurant industry find ourselves at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Thinking about Thanksgiving I thought this is the ideal opportunity to carve out a moment to reflect on the essence of hospitality, a trait that’s as timeless as the holiday itself, and how it intertwines with the art of hiring for the holidays.

In a landscape often buzzing with talks of tipping protocols and service charges, it’s crucial to remember that at the core of every memorable dining experience is the human touch – a smile, a thoughtful gesture, a well-timed joke – elements that can’t be summed up in a percentage at the bottom of a bill. The true flavor of service, much like the secret ingredient in grandma’s famous pumpkin pie, lies in its sincerity and warmth.

As restaurateurs, our quest during this festive season is not just to fill vacancies but to discover those sparkling gems of employees who understand that true hospitality is not just a service but a heartfelt experience. The perfect hire is akin to the right spice in a dish – it can transform an ordinary meal into an extraordinary one.

Imagine walking into a restaurant greeted not just by the aroma of roasted turkey and cinnamon-spiced cider but by a server whose eyes light up as they welcome you, a chef who pours their soul into every dish, a host who makes you feel like you’ve come home. This is the essence of service with a smile, a job well done, an unforgettable experience.

In a time where tipping is often seen as obligatory, it’s vital to remember that customers still wield the ultimate power of choice. They can choose where to bestow their time and resources, and this decision is heavily influenced by the quality of their experiences. Restaurants that merely extend their hand for a tip without offering a slice of genuine hospitality may soon find themselves facing a burst bubble.

This Thanksgiving, let’s remind ourselves that service is not just a transaction but an interaction, an exchange of goodwill and appreciation. When hiring for the holiday season, let’s look for those who embody this spirit, individuals who understand that the heart of hospitality beats not in the cash register but in the moments of connection they create with each guest.

As we set our tables and open our doors, let’s infuse our establishments with the warmth and inclusivity that Thanksgiving stands for. Let’s celebrate diversity in our staff and our clientele, creating an atmosphere where everyone, from every walk of life, feels welcomed and cherished.

In the end, the goal is simple yet profound: to give our guests not just a meal but a memory, not just service but a story, not just hospitality but a piece of our hearts. With that in mind, let’s raise a glass to those who understand and embody this ethos, for they are the ones who keep the spirit of the holiday alive in the restaurant industry.

As we all prepare for the busy season ahead, let’s carry with us the reminder that the best ingredient in the recipe for successful hospitality is always love – love for the food, love for the service, and, most importantly, love for the people we serve. Cheers to a Thanksgiving filled with heartfelt service and joyous gatherings, both in our homes and in our restaurants.

Charting the Course: Balancing Humanity and Technology in the Restaurant Industry

Posted on by zippybeck

As we set our sights on the upcoming Restaurant Finance and Development Conference, a palpable sense of anticipation courses through the veins of the restaurant industry’s leaders. The air is thick with the aroma of change, a blend of uncertainty and opportunity, as CFOs and executives ponder the complex recipe for success in the coming year. The festive season looms, bringing with it reflections on labor costs, the puzzle of labor shortages, the allure of automation, and the relentless quest for robust earnings.

The Dawn of Automation and AI: An Inevitable Tide

Automation and AI are no longer mere specks on the horizon; they are the winds propelling the industry forward. From the humble beginnings of self-service kiosks to the futuristic visions of robotic chefs, technology has been entwining itself into the restaurant narrative with increasing tenacity. The future whispers promises of an unprecedented fusion of technology in daily operations, sparking both excitement and trepidation.

Humanity vs. Technology: The Delicate Dance

At the heart of this technological revolution lies a delicate dance between humanity and technology. The efficiency and cost savings of automation pirouette alluringly, tempting decision-makers with visions of streamlined operations and enhanced profitability. Yet, amidst this dance, we must not lose sight of the warmth and adaptability that define the soul of hospitality—the irreplaceable human touch.

People vs. Cost Savings: Navigating the Dichotomy

As the festive season casts its glow, the contrast between the joyous cheer of human interaction and the sterile precision of machines becomes starkly evident. Industry leaders find themselves navigating a dichotomy that is as challenging as it is crucial—the balance between people and cost savings. It is a strategic calculus that demands foresight, empathy, and a keen understanding of the industry’s heartbeat.

Your Compass Through the Tides of Change

In these transformative times, a trusted advisor is not just a luxury but a necessity. ZippyApp stands as a lighthouse amidst the stormy seas of change, offering guidance, expertise, and a steady hand. As the industry charts its course through the confluence of humanity and technology, ZippyApp emerges as an indispensable ally, helping businesses to navigate towards a future where technology enhances rather than eclipses the human spirit.

Embracing the Future with ZippyApp

As we look towards a horizon shimmering with technological advancements, the role of a trusted advisor becomes more crucial than ever. ZippyApp extends an invitation to join hands in embracing the future—a future where technology and humanity converge in harmony, ensuring that the restaurant industry continues to thrive as a beacon of warmth and hospitality in an increasingly automated world. Let’s chart this course together, steering towards a future that’s not only efficient but also rich with the human connection that lies at the heart of hospitality.

Embark on the Journey with ZippyApp

http://www.zippyapp.com

Crafting Inclusive Job Postings: Building a Future with Everyone in Mind

Posted on by zippybeck

This morning I came across this gem of a thought: “A team’s true strength lies in each member, and the power of each member is the collective team.” Isn’t it striking how such age-old wisdom still rings true, especially in our vibrant, interconnected world today? It got me thinking about the beauty of diversity and inclusion, especially in the job market.

Picture this: We’re drafting a job ad, one that feels less like a formal announcement and more like a coffee chat invitation. We all have those favorite spots in town – that cozy café or the lively store where stories, laughter, and memories intertwine. It’s the people there, from all walks of life, that give it soul. So, in that spirit, shouldn’t our job invites mirror that warmth and inclusivity?

But here’s a twist. While we want to get the essentials right, why not add a touch of humanity? A dash of humor, a sprinkle of real stories, or maybe a fun fact. Because at the end of the day, it’s our shared human experiences that connect us.

Speaking of connection, have you ever read a job ad and felt an instant click? Or perhaps, the opposite – an ad that made you think, “Hmm, not for me”? Words have power, and we’re on a mission to use them wisely, ensuring everyone feels that open-door vibe.

Now, onto growth and opportunity. Imagine reading an ad that doesn’t just list out tasks but paints a picture of a journey, an adventure. Something that ignites passion rather than just ticking off another job requirement. What are your thoughts on that?

And while we’re discussing work, let’s touch on balance and understanding. The world is a stage, and its scenes are ever-changing. How do you feel about workplaces that understand the rhythm of life and adapt?

  • Quick Pop Quiz 📌: When you’re eyeing a job ad, what’s the first thing that draws you in? A) The pay package, B) The role itself, C) The team vibe, or D) Future growth paths? Super curious to know!

Diversity isn’t just about numbers or quotas. It’s the symphony of voices, backgrounds, and experiences that make a workplace vibrant. If you’ve ever crafted or stumbled upon a job ad that beautifully captures this spirit, do share!

Feedback? Absolutely essential! It’s the compass that guides our journey. So, spill the beans – your insights, stories, or even a light-hearted joke. Let’s make this chat a melting pot of ideas.

The reality is for nearly every working adult is our jobs are more than a 9-to-5 routine. They are a tapestry of tales, dreams, and shared experiences. So, chime in, share, comment, and let’s make this dialogue a memorable one. Cheers to inclusivity and genuine connections!

#CraftingConnections #InclusiveHiringJourney


#InclusiveHiring #JobAdsReimagined

Putting a Bow on 2023: Finish Strong with These Fresh, Fiery Hiring Trends 🔥

Posted on by zippybeck

Hey there, Restauranteurs and Hospitality Peeps,

Ever tried hiring staff for your restaurant during the holiday rush? It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack while wearing sunglasses at night. Confusing, right? But 2023 isn’t your average year, and I’ve got the inside scoop to make you the hiring MVP! 🏆

1. The Rise of the Virtual Interview:
Let’s be real. The COVID-19 era turned our world upside down, like that time I tried to make a smoothie without the blender lid on. (Don’t ask!) But amidst all that chaos, virtual interviews emerged as the superhero we didn’t know we needed. Not only do they save time and reduce the awkward pre-interview small talk, but they also let you interview in your favorite pajamas. Win-win!

Why they’re still hot in 2023:

  • Time Savings: Say goodbye to logistical nightmares and hello to a streamlined process.
  • Faster Hiring: Speed is the name of the game. No more waiting for candidates to commute or find your hidden office behind the potted plant.
  • Safety First: We’re all hopeful about the future, but safety remains a priority. And hey, virtual interviews mean zero chances of someone spilling coffee on your desk.

2. It’s Not You; It’s Me… Actually, It’s All About the Candidates:
2023 is all about flipping the script! Candidates are re-evaluating what they want, and if you’re not showing off your restaurant’s charm, you’re missing out. Make your restaurant the cool kid everyone wants to hang out with!

Tips to lure the best:

  • Flexibility: Maybe it’s a choice of hours or just understanding life happens. Flexibility is the new 401k.
  • Compelling Job Descriptions: Be the storyteller. Create a narrative that makes candidates think, “I HAVE to work here!”
  • Brand Personality: Your restaurant isn’t just another brick in the wall. Share the fun, quirks, and what makes you unique. Got a chef who sings opera while cooking? That’s pure gold!

3. The Digital Boom – No, It’s Not a New Dance Move:
Digital recruitment is like that catchy song you can’t get out of your head. It’s everywhere! And if you’re not on this train, you’re waiting at the wrong station.

Digital tricks up the 2023 sleeve:

  • Your Website is Your Stage: Jazz it up, make it pop, and let it sing your brand’s story.
  • Job Boards & Search Engines: Think of them as your digital matchmakers. Swipe right to the best candidates.
  • Social Media: Be where the party’s at! Instagram, Twitter, TikTok – if it’s buzzing, you should be there.

So, what’s the big wrap-up (besides that leftover burrito from lunch)?

Hiring in 2023 is like making a killer cocktail. 🍹 Mix a dash of flexibility, a splash of personality, and top it off with some digital zest. And speaking of zest, if you’re looking for the ultimate tool to add some sparkle to your hiring game, ZippyApp ATS is the secret ingredient.

Ready to end 2023 with a bang and set the stage for an epic 2024? Dive into the world of ZippyApp ATS and onboard like a pro. Let’s chat, brainstorm, and crush those hiring goals together!

Cheers to putting that bow on 2023 and finishing stronger than a double shot of espresso! ☕🎉

Hit me up, let’s talk ZippyApp ATS magic! 🚀🌟

Are You Ready for the January Hiring Spike?

Posted on by zippyapp

Hourly hiring is a seasonal game and the seasonal hiring trend does not end in December. January is a very important hiring month for hourly employers, as many seasonal workers are back on the market. Because of this, you need to develop a big presence in January to attract the best candidates for your jobs. Here are some tips to get you prepared for the new year hiring rush!

1. Post your jobs the first week of January. Many other employers will still be getting back into the work groove, playing catch-up with emails and voicemails. This will limit their time to post their open jobs. Posting yours before the rush can help you capture the best candidates.

2. Add seasonal SEO keywords to your job titles and descriptions. As discussed in our previous guide to Lean and Mean Job Descriptions, your job titles and descriptions are a vital piece in attracting quality candidates. Adding seasonal SEO keywords can help your jobs pop up first in January hiring searches. Our unique job distribution network allows your jobs to be posted to the most popular local job boards (think Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, Trovit, Neuvoo, and Juju.com), giving you the most exposure to capture quality, local candidates.

3. Adopt a one-click apply process. Job applications and old-fashion apply processes can take awhile to complete, deterring the best candidates from applying to your jobs. With our one-click apply process, applicants create one application on ZippyApp and simply hit Apply to submit it to your jobs. Applicants are also able scan your locations’ unique QR code and submit their application straight from their mobile device.

4. Simplify you Applicant Management System. How much time do your hiring managers take to sort through applications and candidate profiles? On average, studies have shown it takes about 30 minutes per application. Our simplified Applicant Management System allows hiring managers to filter, tag, and archive applications based on certain criteria, minimizing the time it takes to look for the information they want.

Are you an hourly employer with seasonal hiring tips to share? Leave your comments here!

9 Steps for Peaceful Holiday Scheduling

Posted on by zippyapp

For hourly employers, ­­it is definitely not the most wonderful time of year. On top of the added stresses of hiring seasonal employees, creating seasonal schedules provides more of a burden. To minimize the risk of dampened morale, unhappy employees, and even legality issues, it is imperative to develop preventative measures to minimize scheduling issues. Here are 9 steps for peaceful holiday scheduling.

  1. Plan early. As mentioned in our previous Blog, always plan and be prepared for what is ahead. Holidays will always be an upcoming challenge for you. So will summer and back-to-school months. When you hire on a candidate, ask them what days, times, and holidays they would be willing to work. This can later avoid accusations of unlawful time off requests for religious-based lawsuits (Federal law states that you must make a “reasonable effort to accommodate employees sincere religious beliefs,” which means you must try and accommodate their time off requests for religious holidays). Also, be upfront and clear with your employees. Set clear expectations of black out days where no one gets to request time off.
  2. Don’t assume everyone wants to take time off. For some, like students back home from school break, the holidays allow for extra shifts, which equates to extra money in their pockets. Don’t assume your single workers don’t want to take time off, or that those with families want more time off. Most employees know their holiday plans in advance, so ask your staff to submit their time-off requests a month (at least) in advance so you can schedule accordingly.
  3. Release schedules for busy weeks well in advance. Create and give your employees their schedules early to allow flexibility for schedule adjustments – like shift switches and covers.
  4. Make note of seniority statuses. To be fair and avoid issues of demoralization, consider who has been at your company the longest and ask them what holidays, if any, they would like off.
  5. Consider who Has worked or is scheduled to work other holidays. Another fair tactic is to prioritize workers who have worked certain holidays previously, or is set to work a holiday already this season. This gives you reason to explain why one worker is getting the time off they requested over another.
  6. Be direct with seasonal employees. Your seasonal staff is there for just that – to keep you prepared for the holiday rush. Be upfront in your seasonal job descriptions and the number of hours, days, and times they are expected to work (we talk about this in more detail in our Guide to Seasonal Hiring).
  7. Try not to schedule consecutive shifts or coinciding shifts to the same workers. Not everyone wants to work all closing shifts, and especially shifts that coincide, like closing late one night and opening bright and early the next day. This is a great tactic to keep in mind for decreasing your turnover and retaining loyal employees.
  8. Alleviate the strain and spread out shifts. Breaking up long holiday shifts into smaller shifts evens out the strain. Also, utilizing shorter shifts is a way to monitor busy and slow times. Overstaffing and top-loading certain shifts can decrease profits, and make for unhappy employees (splitting tips with more workers means less money in their pockets too). Be flexible if it does get busier than you expect (you can utilize our “On Call” feature for times like this!) Or if it is slower than you expected, cut people and let them go home early.
  9. Incentive those who do work those holiday shifts. Incentives are a great way to attract, retain, and keep your employees happy. We are in one of the tightest labor markets we have seen in decades, and incentives make your brand stand out from the rest. A common incentive many companies offer during the holidays is time-and-a-half pay to those who work extra holiday hours/ shifts, but be wary as that can become expensive very quickly. You can also offer gift cards, more time off during regular seasons, priority pick on the next schedule, or even a small bonus to employees who work unattractive holiday shifts.

Do you have any holiday scheduling tips to share? We would love to hear from you! Comment your thoughts below.

Guide to Hiring Seasonal Employees

Posted on by zippyapp

Tis’ the season for holiday hiring! If you haven’t already started hiring your seasonal team, don’t panic. Other guides and Blogs will say you should’ve started way earlier in your holiday hiring, and to a certain extent they are right. But if we have learned one thing about hiring during this tight labor market, it is that you should be recruiting 24/7 for your hourly jobs – no matter what season it is.

The good news is a bright holiday season is on the horizon for the restaurant and retail industries, since sales figures are expected to grow and consumer’s wallets are starting to loosen. The retail industry is expected to add 755,000 temporary workers from October to November, which means it’s time for you to start hiring your seasonal employees! This guide will provide tips on how to recruit and hire during the holiday rush.

Where to look:

  • Your current part-time employees are a great first place to start looking. These workers are already loyal to your brand and are familiar with your products, which minimizes training time. Plus they are already on your payroll, which decreases onboarding time and necessary HR paperwork.
  • Past seasonal hires are another group that negates the need to train and onboard. These workers have proven their work ethic, which lessens the uncertainty of whether or not they may be a bad hire. 
  • Hiring someone who has past experience in the industry minimizes training time. These workers are ready to hit the ground running since they are already experienced and have been trained.
  • Hire year round and try not to wait for busy seasons to hire. Always be on the lookout for quality hires. As mentioned previously, we are in one of the tightest labor markets we have seen in decades, which means it is that much more difficult to maintain a steady flow of applicants. A great feature on ZippyApp is that we offer a separate section on your Hiring Page that shows your ‘Future’ job openings. This is a great way to capture passive applicants for future needs. Another feature to utilize is our ‘On Call’ feature, where applicants can select if they are available for last minute jobs/ shifts. Archive these applicants so you are ready when you need them.

If hiring based off of a new roster of candidates, there are certain attributes to be on the lookout for:
o Eagerness: A willingness to understand the job and products.
o Flexibility: Are able to work extended holiday hours and weekends.
o Fast Learner: Has demonstrated in past jobs they are quick to learn.

Mistakes to avoid:

Don’t hire a low-quality candidate just to fill a position. Anyone who works with your branding on their clothing is a representative of your company. Your customers will not forget poor service because it was given by a seasonal employee. It’s better in the long-run to leave positions unfilled than to hire an unfit or poor quality candidate (we will talk about the costs of a bad hire in an upcoming Blog, stay tuned!)

Don’t just assume your full-time regular staff will stick with you through the holidays. You have to be prepared if someone quits. Offering incentives like bonuses and/ or overtime pay to these workers can help keep them loyal through the season.

Look over your job descriptions and change them for seasonal employment, or create new seasonal openings. Your seasonal job descriptions are not the same as year-round ones. Oftentimes, seasonal workers wear many hats and need to be ready to take on and juggle a variety of tasks. By explaining this in the tasks and duties required of the job, you can reduce turnover. Be sure to add job categories and keywords related to seasonal work or temporary employment so your jobs appear during seasonal work employment searches.

If you are having trouble hiring seasonal employees, are behind in the game, or are experiencing general hiring issues – we can help! Our software is specifically designed for the hourly job market, with a core focus on the restaurant and retail industries. We provide one-stop advertising by distributing and posting your jobs to the most popular local job boards, casting a wider net for applicant flow. Learn more at: http://zippyapp.com/business.