What Is TIPS Training, And Should You Get It?

What Is TIPS Training, And Should You Get It?

by | Mar 31, 2017 | Career

Restaurants often make the most profit from serving alcohol, but it’s a high risk/ high reward sort of situation. You don’t want your establishment to get into trouble for serving alcohol to minors or causing car accidents. You also don’t want to deal with the downside of intoxicated guests. Knowing this, a company called Training for Intervention Procedures, or TIPS, set up a certification program to teach employees of most liquor license holders to deal with those risks.

The 35-year old program covers the legal responsibilities of establishments, the effects of alcohol on people, and various customer-friendly ways to provide alcohol service in a responsible manner. It covers identifying IDs and intoxication. It also gives you a chance to practice some ways of dealing with real-life scenarios.

There are quite a few states, such as Maryland and New Mexico, that require liquor licensees have someone associated with that license trained in responsible alcohol serving and have a certificate from that training. That said, not all municipalities have this requirement, and some places, such as Texas and Maine, have voluntary programs. It can come down to the personal preference of an owner in other municipalities, such as much of California.

Keeping customers from getting intoxicated keeps your place of business comfortable for all your guests and shows that you care about their safety.

There are a couple of benefits of taking the TIPS or similar training programs. Your employees will gain confidence in dealing with intoxicated guests. They will have some ideas about how to control the environment so that the drinking doesn’t get out of hand. Keeping customers from getting intoxicated keeps your place of business comfortable for all your guests and shows that you care about their safety.

It is always good to have refreshers about the rules involved in serving alcohol. There are a few kinds of liabilities that could apply to your establishment, and they vary from location to location. Does your city have social host laws, where you can be held liable for injury to an intoxicated guest if the alcohol is served improperly? Is there criminal charges you could be liable to? You want to keep track of these types of rules. They change sometimes, and the people evading the rules evolve their techniques. Having employees at least occasionally take courses in responsible alcohol service can keep you on the safe side of the law. Should something untoward happen to an intoxicated customer or a minor trying to get drinks, you can point to the program as a sign that you had done your due diligence, as well.

Having employees at least occasionally take courses in responsible alcohol service can keep you on the safe side of the law.

There are also insurance companies that give you discounts for having such a training program in place, and having a nationally-recognized certificate is an easy way to prove that your restaurant has an acceptably trained staff. Insurance companies like to know that at least one threat to the property is being controlled for.

All that said, TIPS charges $40 a person for online training, and they charge varying amounts for on site and off site classes, depending on location and trainer. Other programs will also charge you. You don’t want to be accused of cutting corners here, but at the same time, it’s a cost you have to weigh up.

Additionally, some places, such as Washington, have requirements for trainers and for responsible alcohol service training. Always check ahead of time to see if your municipality requires training and what type of certification they will accept. Many places let cities or counties decide on what they want, and they can be pretty restrictive. You don’t want to download the eTIPS program and later discover that your state doesn’t accept online certifications.

As you can see, whether you need to get someone TIPS certified will depend on your jurisdiction and your establishment’s needs. Keep the foregoing in mind, and you will be able to make an informed decision.

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Tips for Making Your Sirvo Profile Stick Out to Employers

Tips for Making Your Sirvo Profile Stick Out to Employers

by | Mar 10, 2017 | IndiTips

We’ve all done it. We’ve all taken the time to fill out an online profile, whether for a social site, dating site, or even another job site. And we’ve hated every…single…second of it! After all of that, you’d think that you’ve got the process down, but how often are you really noticed?

Filling out a profile on a job site and making it stand out can be daunting. Especially here in the service industry where an outgoing personality, charisma, and the ability to self-promote are a necessity. What’s more, most of us seem to freeze up when we’re put on the spot and actually given the chance to brag about ourselves. It seems easy to do it when the conversation is flowing, but when you actually have to think about it…well, that’s another story.

So how can you stand out from the crowd here on Sirvo? How about we give you a few tips?

We’ll give you the most important tip right away…

You’re probably not going to want to hear this, but the absolute best way to get noticed by employers is to actually go through and make sure you fill out your entire profile. Attaching a paper resume to your application while only filling out one or two fields in the Sirvo profile makes your application look sloppy, and who wants that?

Another reason for this is employers use keywords when searching for candidates. So if you haven’t taken the time to describe yourself and to give some telling details about who you are and what you can do, then don’t expect to get too many callbacks.

If you haven’t taken the time to describe yourself and to give some telling details about who you are and what you can do, then don’t expect to get too many callbacks.

We know that filling out profiles sucks so we’ve made the process as easy as possible for you. We only have five sections: Experience, Education, Certifications & Additional Training, Skills, and Interests. We don’t ask too many questions because we want to allow you to showcase you. We let you get as creative about your story as you want.

PS. If you’re a new Sirvo user and have most of this information already filled out on your Facebook Page then sign up using the Facebook option and we’ll automatically populate the majority of the information for you!

Let’s start at the top.

First things first, let people see who you are. Maybe we don’t want to admit it, but we all start to form an opinion of someone the moment we see them. Photos get as much (if not more) attention than your experience, education, and skills. Make sure you start off on the right foot by adding a photo that lets employers form the right mental image of you.

HINT: Make sure the picture looks like you, isn’t blurry, and won’t embarrass you.

Also, make sure you add your full name and spell it right. Just kidding, we know you can spell your name. But double check for typos, just in case.

The last thing before finishing out the headline section is…make sure you’re a headliner! Give employers 3-5 sentences describing yourself. And don’t just let them know what job you’re looking for or where you want to fit in. Include something personal like your favorite motto or a talent you’re known for. Maybe you’ve won an award or have a hobby you’re proud of. Let them know!

Accomplishments count.

When filling out the experience section, describe what you’ve accomplished and what you can do. Don’t just list the duties of each position you’ve held in the past. If you’ve been a cook or server or any other position, employers will already have an idea of what that entails. They want to know things beyond your just your duties, like what you’ll bring to the table.

When you were a cook, did you create a dish that was so good the manager or owner added it to the menu permanently? Tell them! When you were a bartender, did the bar have higher sales when you were there than when you weren’t? They’ll want to know that, too!

HINT: If you have hardcore numbers to prove your accomplishments, provide them!

If you can add the contact info of a reference who’ll back up your story, feel free to put that in the Experience>Description section.

Education is important in the service industry, too.

Frequently, employees in our industry think this is less necessary than the experience section. That’s not the case. Employers look to this for any number of reasons. Two being, it adds a bit more insight to who you are and potentially shows experience(s) outside of the service industry.

HINT: Add your education in reverse order.

If you’ve just finished a degree, add that first and work backward to high school or trade/technical schools. And remember, dates are important.

Make sure you have the proper certifications.

If you want to work in the front of the house you’ll want to make sure you’re certified to serve alcoholic beverages in your state. If you’ll be in the back of the house, you may want to get take the necessary safe food handling courses your state requires. Having these in advance speeds up the hiring process and gives you a leg up when employers are making hiring decisions.

Find out more information about training and certifications specifically for bartenders, check out our blog post.

Skills

The popular thought here is “the more, the better” but that’s not true. Add the skills you want potential employers to know about but make sure those skills are relevant to the job you’re seeking.

Adding too many skills or random skills sends the message that you don’t really know what you’re looking for. Resist the urge to pad the skills section. Highlight what you’re good at. Leave the rest off. Make sure you can actually do what you say you can do.

What interests you?

This is the section where you can let employers know about any and all work related subjects you’re focused on or would like to focus on. It’s also a great place to let them know you have a life outside of work.

Before you finish.

Head to the Settings page and make sure your name, email, city, and phone number are filled in correctly. You can also add your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram handles if you’d like. 

Filling out the entire Sirvo profile will be worth the time and effort. Not only will you pop up in searches more, but it forces you to add those intricate little details that set you apart from the crowd. Feel free to keep this open when filling out your profile to help speed up the process and remember to update your profile frequently!

Happy searching!

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How To Deal With Coworker Conflict

How To Deal With Coworker Conflict

by | Mar 3, 2017 | Career

Coworkers are like family: you don’t (usually) get to choose them. Instead, coworkers are typically, and dare we say hopefully, hired because of their resume and not because of their easy-going personality. What this inevitably means is that a good portion of your professional life is going to be spent sharing a space with individuals you’d rather never see at all. Not only is that bad news for you, it’s bad for business because coworker problems inhibit productivity and customer service.

When CPP Inc., publishers of the Myers-Briggs Assessment and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, commissioned a study on workplace conflict they found that U.S. employees spend an average of 2.8 hours dealing with conflict on a weekly basis. That’s the equivalent of 385 million working days! Thus, no matter how laid back you are, it’s only a matter of time before you have to deal with some coworker friction.

Here are the three major ways coworkers clash, and what you can do to solve it.

1.) You have the same goal, but a different perspective on how best to make it happen.

Maybe you went to two different culinary schools that stressed two different techniques to do the same job. Maybe your coworker is a tank, and they can’t handle any job or conversation if it isn’t done in the most efficient manner possible. Or maybe you’re the tank, and your coworker gets so caught up in the details the food starts turning cold.

Despite the fact that there is conflict, it’s because both of you care a lot.

If you’re in this situation, where all parties ultimately are hoping for the success of the meal service but are struggling to make it happen due to differences in style or opinion, take heart. Despite the fact that there is conflict, it’s because both of you care a lot.

In this situation you need to:

A.) Value the strengths your coworkers bring to the table, and act like it. If Bill’s plating is the best in the city, tell him. Tell him you appreciate his eye for detail, and his commitment to excellence.

B.) Compromise, because that’s what adults do. If you’re able to recognize that your coworkers are gifted individuals you will promote unity, you will learn from them, and you will see the strength in multiple talent sets. Work through a practical and doable compromise that will allow Bill to plate, without ruining the quality of the food.

C.) Communicate, communicate, communicate. It’s likely that if you talk to Bill with respect and appreciation, he’ll do the same. It’s likely he’s a reasonable professional who recognizes that his plating skills will be in vain if the food isn’t served promptly. So talk to him about the aforementioned compromise like you’re talking to the plating prodigy he is.

2.) You don’t have the same goal at all.

Maybe Bill isn’t actually concerned with having a stellar meal service, maybe all he cares about is his plating and making sure he gets credit for said plating. Or perhaps you’re dealing with an individual who doesn’t have thick skin and refuses to let things go even at the cost of the kitchen running smoothly. If this is the situation you find yourself in it’s going to take a bit more gumption.

Here’s what you need to do:

A.) Give them a chance. The reality is that sometimes people don’t actually realize how they’re influencing everyone else. It can seem impossible, but it’s true. So at a time when you are calm and collected, with as much kindness and gentleness as you can muster, explain the situation from your perspective. Maybe, they didn’t realize. Maybe, you’ll learn about some hard things in their personal life, and they’ll be willing to talk through some solutions. But maybe not.

B.) In that case, it’s time to bring management into the situation. Rory Rowland, an expert on the subject says the most important thing to do in workplace conflict is to, “recognize that ripping the bandage off is painful, but after it’s done everything is all better.”

In his own company, he employed that method by bringing both individuals together to act as a third-party. “One of the techniques I used was you couldn’t restate your own position until you stated the other person’s position to their approval. When you’re angry and hurt, the last thing you want to do is restate the other person’s perspective.”

“One of the techniques I used was you couldn’t restate your own position until you stated the other person’s position to their approval. When you’re angry and hurt, the last thing you want to do is restate the other person’s perspective.”

But what he found was that often when people make themselves see the situation from the other side it creates an understanding between individuals. And while understanding doesn’t always lead to total acceptance, it does often lead to politeness and respect. So ask management to act as a third-party, and make it clear that your hope is that everyone involved will thrive.

3.) Sometimes, they’re just a jerk.

Unfortunately, the workplace is full of people who only ever have their best interest at heart. Perhaps you have a coworker who isn’t satisfied with succeeding, unless everyone else around them fails. Or perhaps you’re sharing a shift with an individual whose main priority is doing as little as possible, while still getting paid. In that situation follow the steps for type 2 and then:

A.) Let go. We know–let what?! How do you let go when what you’re really hoping to do is give them a piece of your mind? You do it by realizing you have very little control over what other people do. If you have taken the steps to neutralize the situation and you have made management aware, then do not let them ruin your chances of success or happiness. Take control of what you can, namely your attitude and performance, and reap the rewards of doing so.

Every conflict is an opportunity; it’s a chance to refine your problem-solving skills.

The good news is that every conflict is an opportunity; it’s a chance to refine your problem-solving skills. It’s a chance to prove to your superiors that you have what it takes to be in charge. And it’s ultimately a chance for you to impact the people around you in a positive way.

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5 Ways Restaurants Can Show Appreciation for Employees

5 Ways Restaurants Can Show Appreciation for Employees

by | Mar 1, 2017 | Business Toolkit, Management

It’s very easy to place little value on employee recognition and consider it as a time waster or unnecessary additional expense.  But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Businesses, especially restaurants, that frequently show that they appreciate their employees benefit tremendously through higher productivity, improved morale, loyalty, and better customer service.

According to a Bersin and Associates research study “companies with recognition programs highly effective at improving employee engagement have 31 percent lower voluntary turnover than their peers with ineffective recognition programs.” This statistic speaks volumes. Appreciating your employees builds a positive company culture that translates to longevity and profits. Here are five ways you can make sure your restaurant employees feel appreciated.

Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Why not involve all employees in the employee recognition process? Manager recognition is important, but businesses have found even more success with peer-to-peer recognition. Giving employees a voice and creating a weekly forum where they can speak freely about each other’s strengths and talents creates cohesiveness within the restaurant. If some employees may not enjoy being publicly praised, consider using a system that allows them to share their positive feedback with each other anonymously.

Manager recognition is important, but businesses have found even more success with peer-to-peer recognition.

Plan a Holiday Party

In office environments, holiday parties are almost a given. But how many restaurants take the time to throw a holiday party for a job well done? This can be a whole new experience for your employees and gives them a chance to connect and relax in a fun setting that shows your restaurant is willing to do something different and special.

Get Creative With Your Rewards

Try not to get stuck in the rut of doling out pens, gift cards, or coffee mugs. Make the reward more personal or more unique. Giving something someone doesn’t care about is not a motivator. If possible, try to learn more about that individual’s likes and dislikes and reward accordingly. And rewards don’t have to cost a lot of money. In the restaurant business, managers can recognize an employee’s hard work by allowing him or her to choose a preferred shift time for a week or allowing for extra breaks.

Make the reward more personal or more unique. Giving something someone doesn’t care about is not a motivator.

Take Advantage of Social Media and Websites

Most businesses these days have a website or Facebook page. Use them as tools for showing just how much you appreciate your employees.  Perhaps devote a page on your website to showcasing dedicated and hard-working employees. Or use Facebook to post the outstanding employee of the month. Not only does this send the message to customers that you care about your employees, but public recognition also makes employees feel that much more special.

Get Customers Involved

Implement a customer feedback card program where happy customers can praise a particular employee for a job well done. They can be put at the front of the restaurant or on individual tables. Customers can then drop them off in a box when leaving and the manager can collect them at the end of the day. Managers can then discuss the compliments and praise publicly at the next shift meeting. Take it a step further and collect the cards over a time period such as a month and then pass out gift cards or cash bonuses to those employees with the highest number of cards. They are also handy for including in an employee’s personnel file or using towards performance evaluations.

Retaining top talent in a fast-paced, high turnover environment like the restaurant industry gives your business a competitive advantage. Appreciating and recognizing your employees can help your business both financially and culturally. With a little investment and strategizing on your part, you can reap the benefits of happy and content employees.

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Should You Work Full-Time or Part-Time in the Hospitality Industry?

Should You Work Full-Time or Part-Time in the Hospitality Industry?

by | Feb 17, 2017 | Career

Gone are the days when the hospitality industry was regarded as a rung in the ladder as you climb to a “real career”. Tending bar or waiting tables is no longer the limbo between jobs that twenty and thirty-somethings are sentenced to just to make ends meet. Kitchens are no longer staffed by ex-cons or high school dropouts. Mom and Dad can’t complain that you need to get a “real job” anymore!

This is due, in part, to the rise of the foodie culture and changing attitudes towards the foodservice industry. Celebrity chefs, celebrity bartenders, and celebrity restaurateurs have also fed the shift. We’ve accepted that making it in the industry somewhat parallels success as an actor or recording artist. However, there’s a greater chance of finding success in hospitality because you’re in full control of the outcome.

It’s not just about learning customer service skills anymore.

In the industry, you’ll learn business theory while gaining sales prowess and leadership skills. Add the “on the job”, practical skills you’ll pick up in the kitchen and behind the bar, then factor in the charisma you’ll develop in the front of the house and you’ve got a pretty solid foundation for a lasting career.

All of these can be developed over time. And none of them have to do with luck or your personal image. You don’t even have to drop a ton of money at some fancy school of business. Take that, Wharton and M.I.T.!

So, should you work full-time or part-time?

The answer is…. always opt for full-time. Here’s why:

1. Benefits

These come in many forms. Restaurateurs know rock star employees put a lot of time and effort into work so they’re willing to offer benefits to those who earn them. Some no longer require you to work the traditional 40 hours to qualify.

There are the other smaller perks, too, such as FREE FOOD (yeah. we thought we’d shout that one out)! And, although not as important as it used to be, you still have the opportunity to take home cash at the end of each shift.

2. On the Job education

You don’t need years of expensive schooling. You can start making money almost immediately and learn the business from the ground up.

Each and every one of the skills we’ve listed above can be learned and perfected while working. In fact, they HAVE to be because whether you’re in the front of the house or the back, your money and your work reputation depends on it.

3. Flexible schedules

There’s real life going on outside of work and the service industry takes that into account. With a flexible schedule, you can still achieve financial goals without feeling bad about taking a week (or weekend) off to live your life.

Also, you won’t find yourself taking work home and you won’t get calls from the boss or clients at all times of the day. Once your shift is over…it’s out of sight, out of mind.

This is a social industry that touches people from all walks of life.

4. Networking opportunities to last a lifetime

This is a social industry that touches everyone from all walks of life. You’ll meet every type; from celebrities to corporate big wigs to up and comers you may take for granted at first.

You never know just how important a connection made at work will turn out to be down the road.

5. Accepting of all points of view

The service industry has always been a haven for those who feel they don’t fit into society’s square pegs. It’s also been a welcoming starting point for immigrants, some of who’ve stayed in the business and found enormous success.

No matter what your lifestyle, beliefs, or circumstances are, the service industry will reward you on equal footing with everyone else as long as you’re willing to work hard.

And things are only getting better.

There have been myths and nightmares of what life in the industry can be like. You’ve heard of the unhealthy lifestyles, the long hours for little pay, and the horror stories of irate customers. But, with the cultural shift towards acceptance of the foodservice industry as a legitimate professional career, business owners and patrons are more educated than in the past, so these myths are disappearing.

All of that signals endless future opportunities for you.

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Experience Sirvo for yourself

Sign up now to find hospitality jobs and hire top industry talent.
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