Having said that the discipline of committing your policies and procedures to paper (or screen) forces an operator to attain clarity in respect of how operations should flow, your corporate image, your product and service delivery, and so on. Equally at unit level, any ambiguity over a procedure can be addressed if it is in writing. In our many years of restaurant and hospitality experience, we have seen many arguments closed by the referral to a manual. Therefore manuals & clearly defined procedures definitely serve a very important purpose in modern foodservice & hospitality operations.

Employee Manual (Sometimes known as the Employee Handbook)

The employee manual contains all the basic information about the company that every employee needs to know, in order to be a functioning part of the company. This information can be communicated verbally at the employee induction, alternatively the document may be handed to the employee to browse in advance of joining the business. The manual may be written in an informal, conversational style to make it easier and more interesting to read.

Quite often this manual may be integrated with the HR Manual (see below),or it may be its own standalone document.

However it is written, an employee manual is a vital component in: a) welcoming new employees to your business, b) providing a comprehensive overview of the company’s history, vision, mission and values, c) providing a foundation for the employee to associate with, therefore reducing the time for the employee to integrate with the business and ultimately improving retention.

Human Resources Manual

The HR manual, (sometimes integrated with the Employee Manual above) details the company's policies relating to its people. It is of primary importance as it outlines your policies in respect of wages and pay days, holidays, uniforms, bonuses, tip procedures etc. Of equal importance is that it provides a compliant policy document that deals with industry specific state and federal laws. The HR manual helps ensure that you have considered and devised an approach to all legal employment matters. Without this roadmap, you run the risk of innocently violating one or more labor statutes with potentially serious consequences.

Procedures & Operating Manual

This represents a detailed standards based set of specific activities. For example the procedures in serving a table, or steps of wine service. In our experience, the key to productivity is to define the results you seek rather than the activities involved. Therefore we develop these manuals which allow for individualization of procedures and customer interaction without losing sight of the physical procedures and service standards. Our approach has met with considerable success as when you define the desired results, you leave people free to interpret their jobs in a way that works for them, and very often we have met with improved practices and ideas. In addition coaching becomes easier, and employees become increasingly involved with their jobs and their identification with the company, all of which contribute to a higher retention rate, improved financial performance while making our client’s job’s easier and more pleasant.

Restaurant Product Manual

The Restaurant Product manual is a primary tool to ensure that you are serving a consistent and high quality product day after day. Our product manuals are clear and easy to follow. They include product ingredients, build steps & production instructions, recipe nutritional information, and presentation information. All products are detailed with a clear photograph and accompaniment information.

In addition to the product manual, we provide recipe cards or cheat sheets. These represent recipes for menu items on one convenient laminate card that assist your staff in maintaining recipe consistency and quality

In addition to the product manual, we provide recipe cards or cheat sheets. These represent recipes for menu items on one convenient laminate card that assist your staff in maintaining recipe consistency and quality

Recognized for our ability to develop training programs and materials, Heritage Restaurant Consultants will work with you to develop (or enhance) a comprehensive training program that works for your business. We know that one size does not fit all, therefore we will spend time from the onset understanding from you and your staff what is working well, what isn't, in addition to immersing ourselves in the culture and history of your company. Or programs are designed for every restaurant and hotel position or to address particular issues. Previous projects have included:

Creating training materials: employee handbooks, training manuals for each position, POS reference cards, etc.

• Re-training current staff
• Building training skills among staff
• Providing evaluation tools and skills
• Induction training for new hires
• Employee surveys

It is important to recognize that Training manuals provide the basis for consistent results so that you’re capable of creating high-quality dining experiences regardless of who’s on the floor or in the kitchen. The better your employees are trained, the better the flow of the restaurant.

Heritage Restaurant Consultants training manuals can be developed from scratch or we can review and improve the content and effectiveness your existing training manuals.

We produce the following:

• Server training manuals
• Dishwasher Training manuals
• Line Cook Training manuals
• Prep Cook Training manuals
• Bus Person Training manuals
• Host/Hostess Training manuals
• Bartender Training manuals
• Manager Training manuals

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All our training manuals come with a Trainer’s guide and certification test.

Operations & Systems

In addition to Manuals, Heritage Restaurant Consultants provides a range of Systems and Log books, (sometimes known as Red Books).

Heritage Restaurant Consultants has developed an entire line of products and solutions to help restaurant, café and foodservice managers and owners address their biggest concerns: operational excellence, food safety/compliance, increasing sales, and improving employee retention and customer service.

Using our management, training and operational tools and services, including our customized online Manager’s Red Book and Restaurant forms, Heritage Restaurant Consultants delivers an essential system for managing your operations.

• Drive operational efficiency
• Maintain high quality service levels
• Maintain compliance with policy and legal matters
• Increase revenues and ticket average
• Personalize the guest experience
• Develop effective training programs
• Manage day to day issues