As far as I know, the owners of large chain restaurants basically don't cook in person, even if they cook, they are just putting on a show and giving back to their fans and customers. For example, the proprietress of green tea, Wu Guoping of grandma's family and the actual controlling shareholder of South Beauty are all masters in management, operation and marketing. You let them cook? Unrealistic.
Of course, this is a large catering group, which is not representative. I understand what you want to ask is how entrepreneurial catering enterprises can retain skilled chefs for a long time.
There are several modes of restaurants in general.
1: investor+manager+chef team holds shares in three parties.
2. The investors are absolutely in control, and others are dead.
When I was working on my first large-scale catering project, I was an amateur myself. When recruiting employees, we mainly publish news through two recruitment websites that you all know, our local life information network, my circle of friends and QQ space.
Using the Internet really gives us a good choice. This link will test the eyes of employers (restaurant investors). Since you ask how to keep the chef, the first step is to meet people. There are many chefs who are really strong, but they have a big appetite. When they see that your business is doing well, they will sit on the ground and start bidding, making your unskilled bosses miserable.
After the recruitment of the chef team, it is the trial, inspection, screening and screening stage. You should choose the best and most loyal person in the chef team as the chef.
In this process, remember to keep a proper distance. This suitability is difficult to grasp and I don't know how to say it. Anyway, I know for myself.
We should combine kindness with kindness.
You can not only contain them, but also give them what they want, such as respect and fun.
Let me tell you something about myself. Do you remember the article I wrote about a man who was drunk? After I failed in other businesses, the restaurant here couldn't pay wages, and so many employees were willing to follow me with only a little basic salary. Why?
1: I usually treat them too well. They feel what is called "life" here, not simply survival.
When every employee comes, I will have a heart-to-heart talk with them and learn about their past, present and future places. Talk to them about their dreams and ask them what day they want.
This group of employees, basically from the countryside, I used what I learned to show them a bigger world, and they were very happy.
Every month, we have our own private dinners and entertainment activities such as bars and KTV.
I don't think of them as robots, they can feel that they are alive.
When they have conflicts with customers, I will artistically treat them as "I am partial to chefs and employees, and customers are finding fault."
Over time, we really became friends. Between friends, the possibility of betrayal is indeed smaller than that of acquaintances or strangers, so this is my first step.
After becoming friends, I am always asked to consider problems from their perspective.
A chef's mother had a car accident and broke her left calf. Know that he is raising money everywhere. We advanced his salary for one and a half months in advance, and he thanked us and said he would repay us. It turned out that he finally did it and stayed with me until the last day before the restaurant was transferred.
There is also the kind of husband and wife employees. Considering that they are in their twenties and want to live as husband and wife, we will replace four bunk beds in one bedroom with a big bed, so that they can enjoy a normal family life. This is a very simple change, but they are very satisfied. Hugging your girlfriend and wife after a hard day can relieve fatigue.
I created an atmosphere of "You are not indispensable here" for them.
Shortly after opening, I met a colleague in the catering industry. He's a cook, and he's good at it, boss. He has dozens of other disciples and hundreds of uncles. Because we had a good chat and soon established a good relationship, he was willing to introduce me to the chef's internal contacts for free.
This is a difficult problem faced by many catering amateurs when they start their own businesses. Most friends who don't know technology and just start a business don't have so many resources.
After I have resources, I often let other external chefs come to the restaurant to try dishes in the afternoon, giving my own chefs a sense of crisis.
3. Clear rewards and punishments, good promotion system.
Wages are linked to turnover, which makes them more motivated. My salary is dead, and I have no energy.
Let the chef see hope.
However, it should also be noted that the restaurant business is poor and the chef cannot be retained. Chefs also want money. Your business was not good, so he went elsewhere.
4. My value
Before my own accident, I had many contacts in my hometown. I won't say much about this. I'm afraid people who don't know me will think I'm making up a story. Anyway, it's just a lot of passers-by Chefs have little social influence and few similar social opportunities. They often watch me drink and chat with this and that "powerful person" and admire me very much.
In fact, these dignitaries, that is, some entertainment places, have accumulated contacts from all walks of life, and some of them are friends I met when I was in public office.
A chef said to me privately, "I hope he will open a restaurant independently in the future, and I can take care of him."
I understand that all this is based on my value of being used. If I don't know anyone and there seems to be no future, they won't care so much about me.
The catering industry has a low threshold, and many fresh graduates want to try it. Brother k can only give you some advice like this:
1: The scale of the initial investment shall not exceed 50% of the annual household income, and it can be sustained even if it fails.
When looking for a chef, the more the better. If you don't find a satisfactory one, you won't leave any inventory and candidates.
3. See good projects, think more, demonstrate more, and don't blindly do catering business.
What I said above is that the chef can stay. In some cases, chefs cannot be retained:
1: The chef wants to change careers.
The chef has to go to other places because of family changes and personal development.
The chef has to start his own business.
It is precisely because of the great mobility of the chef industry that those large catering groups have developed a model of "everyone can replace". In other words, no matter how awesome you are, there is always someone who can take your place.
So are McDonald's and KFC. There are also more domestic catering enterprises that adopt the central kitchen-style mode, so that chefs are no longer so unruly.
The uncontrollable factors of the chef are really obvious to the restaurant owner who is starting a business for the first time, but when you get familiar with the people inside, there will be people slowly, and many high-quality chefs will volunteer.
Before I started catering business, experienced people in my family told me, "You have no skill, you can't cook, you can't leave!"
When I found out what a chef needed, I did it after my efforts.
Off-topic:
Because many people don't have relevant technology and reliable chef friends, they choose a highly reproducible joining mode for catering. You can also consider it.
I wish you go further and further on the entrepreneurial road of the catering industry. Being a restaurant, like being other enterprises, is also a process of being a man.
You are generous, kind and considerate of your employees. As long as there is no accident, they can basically give you back what you want. You are cunning and treacherous, and you withhold employee benefits. People have eyes, and they will leave you before long.
If you carefully study the bosses of large domestic restaurant chain groups, you will find that they are all masters of "attacking the heart" and there are many chefs who have worked with him for ten, twenty or even longer.
Good luck.