Tools to Manage Restaurant R&M | 86 Repairs Blog

Don't Let Turnover Impact Repairs

Written by Ariel Upton | November 4, 2019

Are you feeling the pain of employee burnout, turnover, and lower-than-normal retention rates? 

You’re not alone. Restaurants across the country are experiencing turnover turmoil, with 36% of owner/operators listing staff retention as their #1 problem focus.The aftermath of a turned in name badge includes a lot of feet-dragging, paperwork filing, interviewing, and worrying that all of the energy that you put into that employee has gone completely out the window. You wasted time, so you wasted money.

The industry is experiencing a massive shift.

With fewer qualified employees available than ever before (only 15 million in the employable pool) to fill shifts in the more than one million food and beverage locations in the United States, labor costs are on the rise,  and turnover rates are skyrocketing. Poor retention has its own costs for you and your business: according to the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, turnover costs are costing food and beverage businesses $146,000 annually per location in the United States.

But wait, there’s more. Not only is turnover affecting your bottom line, your team’s morale, and your overall happiness, it can also take a toll on your equipment repairs and maintenance if not managed properly. Trouble with turnover? Don’t let it affect restaurant repairs and maintenance.

Issues with retention prevent continuity

When a member of your team leaves, it can wreak havoc on existing relationships with service providers, and interrupt the dissemination of  tribal knowledge. So much of the way that restaurants manage repair and maintenance has to do with accumulated information, including personal relationships, and internal tracking. 

If even one key staff member leaves, you may be faced with questions like:

  • Who fixed this thing last?
  • How much money have we spent on this piece of equipment over time?
  • Wasn’t someone just here fixing this?

When that inevitable GM leaves, taking the contents of that treasured 3-ring binder with them, 86 repairs is your continuity plan so you stay operational without missing a beat.

Issues with retention increase the odds of burnout

That burnout we mentioned earlier? It’s aggravated by the helplessness staff members may feel when required to take on more responsibilities as a result of turnover and fewer resources.

Having a strong, streamlined approach to repairs and maintenance makes the lives of your front-line staff easier. Giving them one number to call or text in the incident of an event could make or break an entire shift. Your GMS, executive chefs, and FOH staff need to focus on serving your guests, not fixing something in BOH.

The threat of a labor shortage and high turnover rates can be intimidating for any restaurant owner. However, making strategic investments into things like preventative maintenance and strategic repair services can help you retain talent and seamlessly transition knowledge in the event of turnover, while simultaneously impacting your business’ bottom line.

If you’re interested in finding new ways to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover, let us take repairs off your plate. With a subscription like 86 Repairs, you’re showing your staff that you’re willing to invest in a tool that helps make their lives easier. A move that could prevent them from heading out the door.