The customer experience in a restaurant is about more than just the food. It is also determined by other factors like the ambience and cleanliness of the space and the level of service interaction with wait staff. Friendly and knowledgeable staff can enhance the dining experience significantly, and personalized service with attention to detail goes a long way in making customers feel valued.
This is where soft skills come into play. Beyond knowing how to use a POS system or memorize table numbers, it’s the employees’ ability to connect with customers that truly elevates the dining experience. But how can restaurants determine which applicants have the traits they need to turn first-time customers into loyal regulars?
The Importance of Soft Skills
The restaurant hiring landscape has continued to be a challenging atmosphere post-pandemic, with average restaurant employee turnover rates near 80%. As of 2024, 45% of restaurant operators remain short-staffed, leaving customers frustrated with long wait times and a subpar experience. Improving the quality of service while increasing revenue remain significant hurdles that add to the high turnover in this industry. In addition, the soft skills needed by employees in this industry are lacking, leading to difficulty in managing conflict, strained team dynamics and poor customer service.
In the past, there was a heavy focus on job-related proficiencies during the interview process. These “hard skills” refer to technical skills required for a job – often acquired through education and experience. In the quick service restaurant (QSR) environment, examples of hard skills may include food sanitation and preparation, menu knowledge and cash handling.
Soft skills, on the other hand, refer more to abilities that relate to the overall customer experience from a personal level. These competencies are frequently focused on interpersonal skills such as displaying empathy and interacting with customers in a friendly and engaging manner. These traits may not always be listed on a resume, but they are crucial to creating a positive customer experience and driving repeat business.
The Challenge: Identifying Soft Skills
It is evident that an employee’s soft skills, like communication, listening and strong attention to detail, help drive the success of QSRs and ultimately play a role in shaping their future.
That said, there are several challenges in identifying these behavior traits in the QSR industry:
High-Pressure Environment
When things are constantly moving at a fast pace, with the never ending challenge of resolving issues and keeping customers happy, the daily routine often becomes a “rinse and repeat” cycle, leaving little time to focus on how employees handle stress. It is important for employees in this industry to be able to handle pressure well, think quickly on their feet and be solutions-oriented–yet these soft skills are often overlooked and difficult to evaluate in this busy atmosphere.
No Dedicated HR Team
Restaurants without an HR department can run the risk of encountering safety violations in addition to the challenges of employee discontent and high turnover. HR teams can help employees feel stable and secure in their positions, and hence more likely to be satisfied in their roles leading to greater reliability and improved work performance. Even just a single HR leader in a restaurant can make a difference in identifying and fostering soft skills in an employee.
Lack of Standardized Process and Subjectivity
In the QSR industry, the shortage of HR personnel means there are limited standardized metrics for evaluating behavioral competencies in employees. Without an established process, managers are left to make subjective judgments, leading to inconsistent evaluations that may not accurately reflect an employee’s true capabilities.
With all of these challenges, how can QSRs develop a consistent process that ensures they are hiring the individuals with the soft skills necessary to succeed, even when dealing with understaffing and financial pressures?
Solutions: Pre-employment Assessments
This is where pre-employment assessments come in. They offer a standardized, objective way to evaluate a candidate’s fitness for a role, and provide insight into future job performance. These assessments come in a variety of forms, from cognitive aptitude tests to personality and emotional intelligence tests. Personality tests are becoming increasingly popular among hiring teams as they seek to evaluate a candidate’s soft skills such as communication, empathy and teamwork.
Soft Skills Assessments
Interpersonal skills have a large impact on job performance and contribute greatly to the success of an organization. In QSRs, the ability to communicate clearly and be an active listener are particularly critical.
At HighMatch, we recognize that no matter how experienced an employee may be, their success in a fast-paced QSR environment depends on their ability to connect with customers and address their needs in real time. Strong interpersonal skills are what ultimately set top performers apart and drive exceptional customer experiences.
Our Industrial-Organizational Psychologists create personality assessments that are specifically aligned with your organization’s unique roles and culture. These assessments provide actionable insights into a candidate’s behaviors, communication style, and ability to thrive within your team. By combining them with traditional skills assessments, you gain a comprehensive view of a candidate’s strengths, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation for long-term success in the role.
Resources:
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.krha.org/resource/resmgr/2024-State-of-the-Restaurant.pdf
