How to Increase the Productivity of Your Kitchen Staff

When the productivity of your kitchen team is suffering, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact problem. However, here are some ways that you can increase speed and output from your staff, without sacrificing food or service quality.

Streamline Your Back of House Team

One of the key elements to a well-run back of house operation is how systems operate to ensure smooth transitions from one task to the next. Streamlining processes such as the overall layout and organization of the kitchen space and having a good system for tracking inventory can be extremely helpful in the overall speed that food is prepared and cooked. Design the menu to use similar ingredients in multiple dishes as well.

Use Pre-Portioned Food

When completing food prep before operations begin for the day, it is important to make sure that ingredients are easy to reach and use when preparing dishes. For instance, utilizing clearly labeled bins in the walk-in fridge can shave valuable seconds from employees having to search for specific ingredients. Implementing portion bags with pre-weighed amounts of meat or produce also saves weighing time in the event of a rush, where food needs to be put out especially quickly.

Implement Incentives

Employees work best as a team when working towards a common goal or reward. Creating incentives for your team is a great way to maximize productivity, boost employee moral and reap the rewards together. One example would be to use a system that benefits employees, but also aligns with the overall goals of the management team or parent company. Additionally, using incentives that utilize the entire team pulling equal weight creates a sense of motivation and camaraderie amongst employees.

Although it may be difficult at times to effectively manage your kitchen staff, these tricks are guaranteed to boost your productivity and effectiveness.