Survive Labor Shortages with These Creative Solutions

The struggle of being short staffed in the restaurant industry is a universal one. Attempting to run your store, even on a moderately busy shift, while shorthanded is incredibly stressful for everyone involved. Restaurants across all segments have been severely affected, due to the record number of workers who have quit the industry throughout 2021. So, how do business owners solve this problem and entice workers to join them in a highly competitive market? By getting creative.

Create a More Welcoming Culture

Foodservice employees are often seen as a “different breed,” being both hearty and immune to work conditions that are often too hectic for others- but that can hold back potential hires. Managers and owners can set the tone, and create a welcoming environment; one where respect, diversity, and positivity are prioritized. By creating a dynamic and positive work culture, you open the doors to a broader range of available staff, while maintaining a high satisfaction level among your existing employees.

Your staff should be reflective of the community around your business. Focus on creating a diverse, equitable work environment, and your place of business will be a welcoming option to more potential hires. A wider pool means more candidates, and in the end, better hires.

Get More Involved in Your Community

Another way to gain access to an incredible pool of potential staff? Build close relationships within your community. Reach out to local high schools, where they may offer class credits to students for work experience. Foster relationships with colleges in your area, and create a pipeline that will give you access to potential hires. Creating sponsorship programs, offering on-the-job training, and getting involved in community job fairs and other outreach programs not only allows you to find new talent in your community, but it also builds relationships that will be a great resource for finding labor in the future.

Invest in Automation

One of the simplest solutions to a labor shortage scenario is to automate more time-consuming tasks that bog down your employees. Time-consuming, tedious, and frustrating tasks like scrubbing pizza pans, screens, and belts are necessary parts of running a Domino’s, but are a burden to your staff. Investing in automation solutions, like the FOG Tank, allows staff to reduce the time and effort spent on these menial tasks, and instead focus on more pressing matters such as making the highest quality pizzas.

The FOG Tank is a heated soak tank, so-named because it safely and easily removes fat, oil, and grease – as well as heavy carbon build-up – from metal cookware, pizza pans, belts, etc. It tackles the buildup on all types of metal, including aluminum, saving back-of-house employees tons of time they would otherwise spend scrubbing and straining. The FOG tank gets great results within a matter of hours, with little effort on the part of your employees. Cleanliness and sanitation are incredibly important tasks in any Domino’s kitchen and allowing staff to quickly and safely sanitize cookware without struggle means more time effectively spent on higher-level work.

A labor shortage creates stress for everyone in the industry, but when you invest in automation, that both eases the burden on your existing staff and saves you money on water, labor, and energy costs, you’re doubling the positive results. Investing in a FOG Tank for your business makes practical sense- and your kitchen staff, and their hands, will appreciate it.