Tools for Retaining Top Restaurant Employees

One thing we can all agree on these days is that there just don’t seem to be enough people to get the job done, no matter what the job is. Never in recent memory has it been such a challenge to find and keep qualified employees. When it comes to retaining them, the first thing that usually comes to mind is paying them more.

But given a moment to think about it, most of us could remember a time (or many) that we were given a job to do without the right tools to do it. It doesn’t take long for the feeling of frustration to bubble up with that memory.

Yes, money is a big motivator, but respect and talent recognition also rank high when it comes to job satisfaction. Providing quality tools, along with giving employees a voice when it comes to choosing them, can be a meaningful way to show appreciation and respect. The work becomes more about using one’s talents, developing expertise, and building a rewarding career than just doing a job that pays the bills.  

If you’ve got superstar employees you’d really like to hold onto, here are a few ideas to help show them how much you value them and their talents.

For Your Brilliant Bartender

Have you noticed that one of your bartender’s names keeps coming up in your five star reviews and is cited as the #1 reason customers keep coming back? Whether they’re a great listener, tell sidesplitting stories, mix perfect cocktails every time, or all of the above, odds are good that your bartender is very aware of their popularity. 

Outfitting the bar with professional mixology gear is an effective way to acknowledge their contributions, especially if they get to weigh in on style and finish decisions.

Coordinated sets by Barfly give your mixologist commercial-grade tools that elegantly show off their skills and create perfect cocktails, which also makes the price of premium cocktails easier for your customers to swallow. 

Complete sets such as the Barfly Deluxe Set shown here make ordering everything your bartender needs quick and easy with a single item number in a choice of finishes to complement your bar’s atmosphere. 

Deluxe Set M37102 is available in Stainless Steel, Copper Plated (CP), Gold Plated (GD), Gun Metal Black (BK), and Antique Copper (ACP). 

Set includes:

• Cocktail Shaker Set
• 1 x 2 oz. Jigger
• 13 3/16” Bar Spoon
• Heavy-Duty Spring Bar Strainer
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• 9 3/8” Precision Plus™ Straight Tong
• 11 13/16” Bar Spoon with Muddler End
• Y-Peeler
• Channel Knife
• Composite Muddler
• Japanese Ice Pick
• Cast Aluminum Juicer
• Orange Peeler
• Citrus Zester
• Waiter’s Corkscrew
• 4.3" Bar Knife with Rounded Tip and Wavy Edge
• 4" Bar Knife with Pointed Tip and Plain Edge
• Bar Zester

For Your Culinary Genius

They are the ones who put their heart and soul into every dish they touch. The makers of menu favorites and mouthwatering specials, your customers crave their creations and likely know them by name. 

Commercial-grade tools help keep your culinary stars focused on their craft without the distractions and frustrations of material and mechanical breakdowns.

Professional cutlery helps your kitchen staff efficiently and comfortably produce customer favorites as they continue honing their skills. Mercer Culinary offers a comprehensive selection of forged and stamped knives that give chefs a wide variety of options to meet both performance and budgetary needs.

Mercer chooses their materials carefully, working with high-carbon steel for sharpness, strength, edge holding, and ease of re-sharpening. To read about how blade sharpness contributes to food quality and shelf life, click here.

Forged knives such as Mercer's MX3 and Genesis offer the perfect blend of modern technology and finely crafted German steel. Designed for the “performance obsessed,” they have a bolster between the blade and the handle, which adds weight and balance to the knife and protection for fingers.

Millennia branded cutlery by Mercer is an economical alternative to traditional forged cutlery that still provides reliable strength, wear resistance, and edge holding—perfect for the rising stars on your team. A raised Santoprene® textured handle provides an excellent grip while an integrated finger guard improves safety. Speaking of safety, Mercer also offers cut gloves to help you protect your valuable team.

Professional-grade Food Storage containers and covers by Cambro keep foods visible, fresher, and better tasting thanks to properly fitting lids and seal covers. Camwear food pans, storage containers, and seal covers are a chef favorite for cold and ambient applications. They are also safer than metal (no sharp edges) and save time since prep, storage, transport, and serving can all be done in one pan.

Cambro Translucent Food Pans and Food Storage Containers also pair up with corresponding Cambro Covers to extend shelf life with a tight seal, protect against cross-contamination, prevent flavor transfer, and support stable stacking. Their translucent polypropylene material isn’t quite as clear as Camwear, but contents are still visible to support operational efficiency and inventory management needed to optimize freshness and flavor. They’re also priced significantly lower making them an economical food storage option that is still American-made, top quality, and NSF listed for cleanability and commercial use.

The XM-12 Immersion Blender by Sammic is like a magic wand for your culinary wizard. This valuable tool multi-tasks, saves prep and clean-up time, reduces waste, and is completely portable to keep up with even the fastest moving chef!

With its advanced, tempered steel, Y-blade design, the XM-12 quickly yields the perfect texture, from airy blending to smooth purees, making quick work of preparing salad dressings, batters, jams, pumpkin puree, or gazpacho, mayonnaise, meringue, and lots more. For volumes up to 10 quarts, the XM-12 is the perfect size for easy handling, and the non-slip ergonomic grip reduces fatigue. To learn more about what it can do for your valued culinary pros, watch the Sammic XM-12 video.

For Your Seasoned Server

They know your menu backwards and forwards and are eager to make recommendations since they’ve tried everything. 

Often a mentor to new staff to ensure consistently top-notch service, they take pride in everything they serve and how they serve it.

Elegant glassware and dinnerware tap into the sense of pride that keeps this kind of valuable employee feeling good about their work. Look to the BauscherHepp brands for inspiration that pairs perfectly with your ambience and cuisine. 

The nostalgic and romantic Roma 1960 glassware collection from Luigi Bormioli and the impossibly realistic Wood Grain porcelain dinnerware collection are perfect examples that elevate the dining experience for guests and staff alike.

This is just a small sampling of the many ways you can support your best employees with professional-grade tools, ware, and equipment that will make them feel valued and their work more enjoyable. We’re here to help brainstorm ideas and connect you with solutions that can help your business thrive. Contact us.