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Articles
Effective Incentives
November 1, 2007
Originally published in the Service That Sells! Newsletter
My daughter could care less about the score of the Super Bowl until we play the 'squares game' and she has a chance to win some money based on the score at the end of each quarter. When people have a vested interest in the outcome (score), they care about that outcome.
Theoretically, servers should care about total sales and check average as they earn their 'profit' based on the sales they generate. However, only a fraction of the servers 'get it'. The majority need an extra incentive to move performance to a new level. Leverage this knowledge to move sales and service to new heights by implementing effective incentives:
Closest to the Pin - use this for total sales on a shift (not selling just one item). Have the service team guess their total sales and whoever is closest wins a prize. Constantly update the team during the shift to encourage sales generation.
Commission - trying to move higher margin or higher ticket items (steaks, bottles of wine, premium spirits) can often be tough. Adding a 'commission' to certain items provide the little extra servers may need. Earning 5-10% of bottled wine sales or specials helps drive sales of those items to new heights and provides a better value and/or more unique experience for the guest.
GATOR - Get All the Orders Right. This contest focuses on service but from a back-of-house perspective. Each hour you have no mistakes, long cook times or sloppy plate presentations, a dollars (or more during peak hours) goes into a prize jar. At the end of the week, the kitchen team divides up the winnings based on the percentage of hours they worked that week.
Most Improved - since many contests always seem to have the same winner, do a 'most improved check average' (or total sales) to reward everyone who beats their current performance. After all, that's building your sales. Have a grand prize for the person who improves the most - but don't forget to reward everyone who improves!
While we should not have to provide extra incentives, today's generation is all about instant gratification so leverage that knowledge by providing incentives to improve performance. Otherwise, you'll stay still while others pass you by.