Onboarding staff
Onboarding new hospitality staff. How your new team member knows the menu after one week.
Onboarding in hospitality happens between orders. Here is what a new team member needs to know in the first week, why one onboarding day is not enough and how to keep it going.
In short. Spread onboarding over the first week. Start with house rules, hygiene and the menu with allergens. Then repeat in short bites, every shift. That way it sticks, also with on-call staff.
Why onboarding in hospitality is different
Rotas change. Many people work a few shifts a week. There is no time to set someone aside for a day, because service carries on. And a lot of knowledge sits in the heads of the regular team.
So a new team member mostly learns by shadowing. That works for the rhythm of the venue. It works less well for the menu, the wine and the allergens. Those have to be right first time.
Checklist for the first week
Day 1: the basics
- Tour, emergency exits and who to call for what
- House rules: uniform, phone, breaks, rotas
- Hygiene and HACCP: hands, temperatures, cleaning
- Till and ordering
Day 1 to 3: the menu
- Every dish: what goes in it, how it is prepared, what you recommend
- Allergens per dish and where the allergen matrix is kept
- What you say when you are not sure: always check with the kitchen
Week 1: selling and hospitality
- Wine and drinks: the house wines, the bestsellers, what goes with which dish
- Upselling without being pushy: a dessert, a digestif, a better bottle
- How you welcome guests and say goodbye
After that: ongoing
- New menu, new dishes, new suppliers
- Short refreshers on allergens and hygiene
Why one onboarding day does not stick
What you hear once fades. Especially when the first shifts are busy and a lot comes in at once. Knowledge sticks better when you repeat it in short bites, spread over days. That is called spaced repetition and it works for everyone, from student to sous chef.
For hospitality that means: rather three minutes every day than one afternoon with a binder. And rather questions than explanations, because whoever has to give the answer remembers it better.
Three minutes a day
With CuliQuiz your team plays a few questions on their own phone every day. About your own menu, the allergens, hygiene, wine and hospitality. A wrong answer gets an explanation straight away. Your people play together, which keeps the rhythm going.
You don't have to write any questions yourself. Send us your menu, we turn it into questions and you check them before they go live.
Do you know what your team knows?
Usually you only find out at the table that someone doesn't know something. In the CuliQuiz dashboard you see who takes part and, per topic, where knowledge is falling behind. Then you know what to cover in the next briefing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does onboarding new hospitality staff take?
That depends on the role and the experience. You want the basics in place in the first week: house rules, the menu, allergens and hygiene. After that you build on it with short repetition, a little every shift.
What belongs in an onboarding checklist for hospitality?
House rules and agreements, a tour and safety, till and ordering, hygiene and HACCP, the menu with allergens, wine and drinks, hospitality and the sales story of the venue. Spread it over the first days instead of everything on day one.
Do new staff need to know the allergens?
Yes. If you give allergen information verbally, your staff must be able to inform the guest about the 14 allergens and the information must be available in writing or electronically for staff and the NVWA (the Dutch food safety authority).
How do you onboard on-call and flexible staff?
Short and often. You don't see on-call staff every day, so a long onboarding day works badly. Short questions on their own phone, between shifts, keep the knowledge in place until the next shift.
What does CuliQuiz cost for onboarding staff?
From €49 per month, excl. VAT. No contract, cancel monthly and you only pay for who plays. The first 30 days are free, no payment details needed.