Proposal for Employee

Manual on Front of House Server

Procedures


























Prepared for
3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House

Prepared by
Zachary Hair

TECM 2700-001
Instructed by
Terry Smith

3/31/2014

ii


Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...................................................................................iii
Introduction to Proposal on Employee Manual...........................................1
Problems for 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House............................................ 1
Solution to 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House Problems................................3
Outline for FOH Server Employee Manual.....................................4
Work Plan for FOH Server Employee Manual...............................5
Qualifications for FOH Server Employee Manual......................................5
Budget for FOH Server Employee Manual.................................................5
Conclusion to Proposal on FOH Server Employee Manual........................6

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Executive Summary

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House does not have a Front of House (FOH) Server Employee
Manual. We need a manual because of the amount of new hires and uninformed
employees currently staffed. Without an established manual, training-servers lack the
standard information needed to successfully train new employees over company policy.
This causes employees to finish their work in an untimely or incomplete manner,
ultimately costing the company money. This manual will also compile company-wide
procedures so all front of house staff can easily reference them.

I can complete the rough draft of this manual by April 15
th
. The materials, my labor, and
company training hours to implement this manual will total approximately $504.41. My
year of experience in this restaurant since its opening provides me an internal
understanding of the companys procedures and expectations. In addition to this, my
college curriculum includes Technical Communication 2700, which also qualifies me for
this project. If the rough draft is acceptable, I will have the final copy completed on May
2
nd
.


1

Introduction to Proposal on Employee Manual

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House employs an average of 30 servers. Due to the high
turnover rate of the service industry in general, a 20% minimal average of the
FOH serving staff is new or training. Inexperience, in addition to improper or
incomplete training methods, leads to several problems within the company.
Trainees that are misinformed on company policy and procedure contribute to the
overall discrepancies in employee responsibility. Our more experienced servers
also encounter these discrepancies without an employee manual to refer back to.
All of these problems ultimately lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction and, in
turn, a loss of profit for 3 Stacks. This employee manual will cost approximately
$504.41 and can be implemented as early as May 2
nd
to address the companys
current problems with FOH work discrepancies.


Problems for 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House has the following problems:
Inconsistent Running Side Work
Improper Closing and Opening Procedures
Incomplete and Inconsistent Labor
Misunderstood Responsibilities for Closer

Without a standard employee manual in place, servers lack designated side work
to complete during their shift. Servers are either unaware of the necessary work to
keep a shift running fluidly or they disregard these requirements because it has
never been defined as their responsibility. A server refilling the ice or glasses, for
example, is crucial to the smooth progression of a shift. If the floor is not
continuously stocked service will slow until someone can restock. Another busser
or FOH employee will have to interrupt their work to help the floor. These
workers cost $8.00 per hour on average, as opposed to the servers wage of $2.13
per hour. Both factors affect labor and productivity. Without an employee manual
we risk higher labor costs, lower productivity, and a decrease in guest satisfaction.

Server $2.13/hour Restocking @ avg.
45 mins/shift
$1.60/shift x 2
shifts/day = $3.20
Busser $8.00/hour Restocking @ avg.
45 mins/shift
$6.00/shift x 2
shifts/day =
$12.00
Comparison of server and busser labor cost for restocking glasses each day.

Our lack of an employee manual leads to the improper opening or closing of the
restaurant because the FOH server staff does not have consistent procedures to

2

follow. Because we lack these outlines our servers forget tasks needed to
successfully prepare or close the restaurant. For example, a guest could become
upset if they have to wait for tea to brew because a server was not specifically
designated to prepare the tea prior to opening. On average 1 out of 5 guests order
our tea, which costs $2.00 each, and within the first hour of a peak work day an
average of 100 guests come to eat at our restaurant. Thus, approximately 20
customers order a glass of tea within an hour of opening resulting in a possible
loss of $40.00 in profit. In addition to this loss and decrease in guest satisfaction,
we also lower service productivity by taking a server off the floor to brew tea.

Profit Lost
(Tea)
Avg. 20 teas/hour x $2.00/tea = $40.00/hour
With an average of 20 teas ordered in the first hour of a peak day and $2.00/tea,
we could lose $40.00/hour in potential sales

Our servers regularly fail to complete all of the tasks necessary for the day
because they lack a manual to refer back to. Without a specific outline of
responsibilities for the FOH staff, employees tend to provide inconsistent or
incomplete labor. Certain tasks need to be completed daily, like cleaning the
barbeque sauce bottles or refilling the condiments on the table. Without
specifically designating these responsibilities the quality of service decreases
when problems arise. For example, if the closing server on a Friday night
neglected to refill the salt and pepper for his or her section, the Saturday morning
shift in that section could run out completely during the lunch rush. This hinders
customer service by occupying a server with work that pulls them away from their
tables and our guests. If another FOH employee has to stop what they are doing to
assist in refilling the condiments because a server is too busy, labor costs increase
from $2.13 an hour to an average of $8.00 an hour for the same work. At the same
time, the employee assisting the server is distracted from their responsibilities
which could lead to more unfinished work.

Server $2.13/hour Refilling @ avg. 1
hour/shift
$2.13/shift x 2
shifts/day = $4.26
Busser $8.00/hour Refilling @ avg. 1
hour/shift
$8.00/shift x 2
shifts/day =
$16.00
Comparison of server and busser labor costs for refilling condiments each day.

The final problem introduced in this proposal leads to complications throughout
the entire FOH. Since servers lack a manual with a detailed closing procedure to
refer to, one of our crucial daily tasks is inconsistent on a regular basis. Our
closing servers are responsible for checking everyone elses work in the FOH
before they can leave. This includes approving sections, silverware, and side
work. If a closing server is unaware of their responsibilities for the evening the

3

restaurant is left without the silverware needed, clean sections, and unprepared for
the next shift. Not having enough silverware rolled alone pulls employees from
various tasks like hosting, bussing, or taking to go orders for an average of 1 hour
to complete work that servers should have finished beforehand. Just assigning 2
hostesses to roll silverware for 1 hour cost $7.50 per person compared to the
$2.13 per person if the servers responsible completed the same work. Our
company pays 3 and a half times more, $15.00 versus the $4.26, for an hour of
two employees rolling silverware whenever closing servers fail to check that
closing procedure is followed.

Server 2 x $2.13/hour Rolling Silverware
@ avg. 1 hour
$4.26/hour x 1
hour = $4.26
Hostess 2 x $7.50/hour Rolling Silverware
@ avg. 1 hour
$15.00/hour x 1
hour = $15.00
Comparison of server and hostess labor costs for rolling silverware each day.


Solution to 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House Problems

My manual on FOH server procedures will help solve the following problems:
Inconsistent Running Side Work
Improper Closing and Opening Procedures
Incomplete and Inconsistent Labor
Misunderstood Responsibilities for Closer

By implementing a standard employee manual we can eliminate any
inconsistencies in what a server is or is not responsible for. Servers will then be
held accountable for maintaining and restocking stations along with other running
side work. By designating these responsibilities the employee manual will cut
down interruptions during the shift, ultimately increasing productivity and guest
satisfaction. Also, assigning the appropriate employee for the task decreases labor
costs by preventing other FOH employees with higher wages from becoming
responsible for completing said work.

If we provide servers with a manual to refer back to, we establish physical
procedures that define everything required to close and open the restaurant. We
prevent any discrepancies in what needs to be done and maintain service
productivity by assigning tasks at the appropriate time. By preparing the
restaurant properly FOH employees are more available to address issues as they
arise throughout the shift. This also increases guest satisfaction by maintaining the
proper number of servers on the floor instead of having them complete work at
inconvenient times during the shift. Ultimately with a better floor presence we
increase profit and decrease our loss of profit in voids or discounts.

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Our employee manual will provide the outline necessary to reduce inconstant or
incomplete labor by defining the daily tasks and who is responsible for each task.
This will increase our service productivity and guest satisfaction by establishing
the procedures, like condiment restocking and section preparation, needed to
provide the quality of service expected of our restaurant. If we give our FOH
servers an employee manual to refer upon we remove any excuse for leftover
work by specifying the needs of the restaurant and their expected completion.

Finally, our employee manual will provide closing servers with the power and
responsibility necessary to meet closing expectations. Our manual will
specifically outline what each server is required to do before leaving and a
checklist for the closer to follow. This decreases flexibility in what a server
considers a requirement for closing, or what they consider to be their
responsibility. By following this model we cut down on labor costs by assigning
the appropriate employee to their duties instead of compromising the FOH and
pulling higher paid employees from their responsibilities to make up time lost.


This employee manual will help 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House by providing a
concrete standard to hold employees accountable to. It will decrease the amount
of labor wasted on tasks servers are primarily responsible for by laying out the
guidelines and job expectations. By instating these procedures we provide a
structured FOH and consequences for not maintaining these responsibilities.
Overall this manual will promote more efficient labor costs, consistently complete
work, and increased guest satisfaction which leads to an increase in company
profits.
Outline for FOH Server Employee Manual
Intro
Welcome
Overview of Server Position
Overall Expectations
Uniform
Conduct
Quality Service
Shift Expectations
Running Side Work
Time Management
Food Running
Opening Expectations
Sections
o Sauces/Condiments
o Appetizer Plates
o Silverware

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o Chairs
Stations
o Refill Tea/Lemonade
o Recap Beverage Nozzles
o Bus Tub/Sanitation Bucket
o Refill Ice
Closing Expectations
Sections
o Sauces/Condiments
o Sweep
o Sanitize
o Chairs
Stations
o Sanitize Tea/Lemonade
o Sanitize Beverage Nozzles
o Bus Tub/Sanitation Bucket
o Restock

Work Plan for FOH Server Employee Manual

I started the rough draft of the FOH employee manual on March 25
th
and plan to
complete the rough draft on April15
th
. If the rough draft is sufficient I will
complete the final copy on May 2
nd
. The employee manual will be an economy
bound manual, consisting of standard 8.5 by 11 inch 24lb double sided paper,
printed in black and white and bound by staples. The cover will consist of printed
cardstock with the company logo centered.

Qualifications for FOH Server Employee Manual

My personal experience working at 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House for the last
year qualifies me for our employee manual project. I have more than six years of
experience in the service industry and customer service overall. I also took TECM
2700, Intro to Technical Communication at the University of North Texas in
Spring of 2014.


Budget for FOH Server Employee Manual


Items Time and Supplies Cost (dollars)
Writing and
Editing Manual
20 hours @ $9.25 per
hour
$145.00
Printing 51 manuals @ $2.05 per $104.55

6

unit
Training 1 hour x 30 servers @
$7.25 per hour
$217.50
Subtotal $467.05
Taxes $37.36
Total $504.41

I will complete the employee manual in 20 hours at $9.25 an hour for a total labor
cost of $145.00. Your cost for labor, materials, printing, and training to
implement the new employee manual will total $504.41.


Conclusion to Proposal on FOH Server Employee Manual

I look forward to preparing this essential employee manual for our restaurant.
This manual will specifically designate FOH server employee responsibility and
save our company money in labor, expenses, discounts and increase guest
satisfaction and productivity overall. You can contact me at 469.321.3245 or
email me at Zachthair@gmail.com. I look forward to potentially working with 3
Stacks Smoke and Tap House on this manual.