food service management survivalChoosing to pursue a career in the food service industry is brilliant for anyone who doesn’t want a job where they find themselves doing the same thing over and over again. Working in the food service industry puts you in a position to interact with a wide assortment of different people every day, to experience new challenges each time you are at work, and potentially make some really good money.

Four letter words are easy to throw out when stress arrives, but the best managers would be especially wise to focus on the positive during these times. With this in mind, here are some four-letter words that will help you get through the more challenging days while keeping your professionalism—and your cool—intact.

Use TACT

There are going to be days when you find yourself dealing with a person who proves to be more challenging than most. Sometimes this is a fellow employee who is having a difficult time understanding the restaurant's routine or who is simply having a really bad day. Sometimes the challenge comes in the form of a difficult to please customer. No matter where the source of the problem might come from, your ability to think ahead and to use tactful words will help you negotiate the situation without creating additional drama.

For example, when dealing with an employee who is not as quick as they need to be, or who is struggling to understand how a particular recipe, technique, or piece of equipment works, the most tactful way to deal with the situation is to set up additional training sessions with them. If they continue to struggle, you could suggest they work with someone else, since sometimes a change in teaching philosophy could lead to a breakthrough. If it becomes apparent that the employee simply can’t handle the task they were hired for, try to pair them with a different chore that’s better suited to their personality and experiences.

When an employee who is clearly having a bad day walks through the door, the most tactful way to handle the situation is pairing them with people they get along well with, asking them if they’d like to talk about the situation, or simply letting them take a short break so they can collect their thoughts.

The tactful way to handle customers depends on exact problem you’re dealing with. The good news is that most problems can be dealt with simply by listening to their grievances and promising to do everything in your power to make things better.

Stay CALM

The food service industry is full of all kinds of drama, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a part of it. Whether the issue is a cranky customer, a surly employee, or a piece of equipment that has suddenly stopped working, the best way to handle the situation is taking a deep breath, accessing the situation with a quiet mind, and looking for a possible solution. If you stay calm, it’s likely that everyone around you will follow suit.

Learn to PUSH

Whether you’re the owner of the restaurant, the manager, a line cook, or a member of the wait staff, you need to know how to push. Pushing means committing yourself to doing everything you can to make your workplace better. Push your employees as well as yourself. When you work to make the food and service as good as it can possibly be, you’ll attract even more diners and business will boom. Driven food service employees quickly advance up the ranks until they’re managing their own establishment.

Show You CARE

Never lose sight of the fact that preparing and serving food is just one element of working the food service business. Another important element is getting to know and care about the people you’re feeding as well as your fellow co-workers. Taking the time to get to know each person you come into contact with and to really care about what is going on in their life creates a nurturing work environment and also encourages customers to come back to your restaurant over and over again.

Show You KNOW

Knowledge is an important key to a successful career in the food service industry. The better you know the business, the smoother things will run. Go out of your way to get to know all of the equipment used, the different people who work at the establishment, and what goes into food preparation. The more knowledgeable you are about each aspect of the restaurant, the quicker you will be at seeing problems start to develop so you can head them off before they become a full-fledged disaster

Do you find the idea of working in the food service industry fascinating? Check out the Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management at ECPI University’s College of Culinary Arts! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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