Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D.

Articles by
Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D.

Page 4
Workforce

How to calculate fringe benefits for restaurant employees

Fringe benefits represent the costs of an employee beyond their wages, which might include Medicare tax, paid sick days and healthcare, says Advice Guy.

How do I keep cooks from quitting?

Advice Guy: Since so many operations are seeking cooks, talented ones can practically choose their gig and may look for better circumstances elsewhere. But a few straightforward strategies can help restaurants keep the cooks they have.

Advice Guy: Ensuring your training, documentation and policies are clear to staff is a good place to start.

Advice Guy: Yes, operators in some states are able to take payments from Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.

Advice Guy: As prices for just about everything increase, the processing fees from credit cards is looking more onerous. Should a restaurant owner charge those customers extra?

Advice Guy: While you may be justified in disciplining your employees, their overzealous comping could point to bigger problems in your systems, management and oversight.

Advice Guy: As restaurants struggle with staffing, some servers might not receive hospitality training, resulting in insensitive or annoying language that can also inhibit sales.

Advice Guy: Earned wage access isn’t right for every operation. However, if the idea is appealing to your current and prospective employees, it's worth exploring.

Advice Guy: Unless there is an applicable company policy or local regulation, employers aren’t required to pay overtime for this sort of situation unless the staffer works more than 40 hours.

Advice Guy: Checking specific types of references, such as former employers and former employees, can give useful perspective.

Advice Guy: Many restaurants have a weekly all-hands deep clean, at least in the back of house, which I highly recommend.

Advice Guy: For signs about employee handwashing and the like, bars and restaurants shouldn’t test the limits of health code compliance.

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