SO WHO’S NUMBER ONE?
There’s an expression in the hospitality industry that goes like this: ‘‘If you [the
manager] take care of the employees, the employees will take care of the guests, and
the profits will take care of themselves.’’ As a supervisor, your number one concern
is your employees. You need to be committed to serving the employees who serve
the guest, because the way you treat your employees will be reflected in how they
treat the customer. When you treat employees the way you want them to treat customers
(with consideration, respect, and so on), employees then tend to provide highquality
service. This keeps customers happy and increases the chances of return visits,
meaning more business and more money spent. This, in turn, helps build profits and
keeps the owners happy. Studies involving various companies show that those who
value their employees highly (by providing training, rewards, and so on) have higher
customer satisfaction and profitability.
Randy Garutti, at 28 and general manager of New York’s Union Square Restaurant,
says that with 110 employees, ranging in age from 18 to 40-something, his
biggest challenge is in creating an atmosphere in which people want to work. He
places his employees before the guests because if the employees are happy so will the
guests be happy.