Chapter

12

Hiring and Managing Staff

In This Chapter

“If you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction; you still won’t have a great company. Great vision without great people is irrelevant,” says Jim Collins in Good to Great (HarperCollins, 2001), one of the greatest business books ever written. In the book he researches the greatest companies of our time—those that have shown consistent growth over a long period of time.

Choosing the right people to prepare and represent your food is just as important as choosing the right ingredients. A strong team can make your truck a success, while an undertrained or unmotivated staff can sabotage your entire vision. In this chapter, I show you how to choose and train the right people and how to create a work environment that keeps them motivated.

How Many and What Positions?

Food trucks are typically intimate operations, with an average of three to four people on board: one running the window, one or two other(s) in the kitchen, and one outside of the truck organizing the line, monitoring the neighborhood, and handling the marketing. The idea is to consolidate as many responsibilities as possible into just a couple of positions.

It’s impossible to know how many people you need or in what capacity until you’ve clearly defined your menu and concept. The nature and complexity of your offerings largely dictates what responsibilities need to be filled.

For example, a soup truck can usually operate with just two people. The main person takes the orders, handles payment, and serves the soup—not an unreasonable amount of work for one person. The second employee would assist during the busy hours, refill soup pots and supplies, clean, and assist as needed. If the truck operator were to expand her menu to include Panini sandwiches, for example, she would need to hire an additional kitchen worker to prepare the sandwiches and run the Panini press.

Tip

You should never have more than five people working on your truck and, unless you’re operating an ice-cream truck, it would be difficult to handle a truck with just one. For maximum return on investment you should strive to run your truck with a three-man crew.

To determine the number of employees your food truck requires, begin by analyzing your menu for the following characteristics:

As you analyze your menu, you should begin to get a sense of what processes and responsibilities will require most of your time and labor. For example, if you specialize in fresh pastas, plan to spend a significant amount of time preparing the dough and making sauces. Create a list of the major responsibilities that make up the bulk of your operation. Break down each step from taking the order to serving it, and assign an employee to each role in the process so you can begin to know how many people you’ll need.

Also consider your own role in the kitchen or at the window. Which of the responsibilities on your list are you going to take on yourself? While you’ll want to do as much as possible, you shouldn’t take on too much. Micromanaging is a classic mistake of first-time truck operators. You need to delegate work to your crew so you have enough room to step back and supervise, manage, and interact with your customers.

If you have a partner, you need to consider which role, if any, would make best use of his strengths. One of the best reasons for taking on a partner is because that person brings a special set of skills or expertise to the operation. If your partner has a strong culinary background, then his role is clear from the beginning: he should oversee the preparation of the food and determine whether he needs an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.

Once you know what you’ll be doing on the truck, consolidate the remaining responsibilities on your list into one or two positions. If you’re still unsure how many people you’ll need to get the job done, go with your best guess. You’ll know very quickly once you start operating if you need to downsize or expand your staff needs. If you communicate well with your employees you’ll be able to implement changes easily.

Getting the Right People On Board

It’s time to assemble a qualified team to help make your food truck dream a reality. Depending on the demands of your menu and concept, you’ll need experienced, enthusiastic professionals to fill one or two positions.

Tip

Notice I didn’t include chef on the list of staff positions to consider. At this point in the game, you should have a fully conceived menu, and most chefs won’t want to produce someone else’s recipes. If you don’t have any culinary inclination or just feel uncomfortable designing a menu on your own, consider a partnership with a chef who can create a menu to fit your concept. A food truck has no need for a chef for any other reason than to develop the recipes and for marketing. Your cooks should be more than capable of handling the work with adequate training.

The primary positions you need to fill are as follows:

The following sections detail the job duties of each of these positions.

Prep Cook

The quality of a kitchen’s prep work is a big part of the quality of its finished product. Depending on the type of truck, your prep cook might do all the cooking. Prep cooks ready every ingredient for service, from trimming meat to deboning fish to chopping veggies. They make sure the kitchen is fully stocked and that every component of the menu is on hand, clean, fresh, and ready to be cooked or served. They’re often responsible for preparing soups, sauces, and baked goods as well.

A good prep cook should have a solid working knowledge of every piece of equipment in your kitchen and understand the proper way to handle all the ingredients on your menu. She must be highly organized, punctual, and responsible. She should be able to take orders and criticism, and endure long hours on her feet, doing repetitive work. Most important, she should take pride in her work and feel motivated to do her job well.

A well-trained and dedicated prep cook can save you countless hours of tedious labor while giving you the peace of mind of knowing that your product is in safe and loving hands. She can also double as an on-truck cook during service, should you require her to do so.

Tip

Ninety percent of the people you hire to launch your truck won’t be with you six months later. This isn’t a reflection on you; it’s the nature of the business. The truck is your dream and you must do everything in your power to protect it, which includes firing someone who isn’t right for the job. Constantly be on the lookout for good people and have a file of backups.

On-Truck Cook

The on-truck cook executes the entire menu. Other than the prep cook, the quality of your product is solely dependent on the skill and execution of this individual.

As with prep cooks, you want to find an on-truck cook who is experienced but still receptive to learning and taking direction. Laboring long hours in a truck kitchen can be thankless and exhausting work, so he must be responsible and dedicated, and demonstrate a positive attitude toward his work. You should ideally find two people who can work either as a prep or an on-truck cook.

Cashier/Greeter

I highly recommend that you take this position yourself. It’s your truck and you should be the face of it. It’s also your money, and at least until you find someone trustworthy, you should be handling it. If you aren’t going to be greeting customers and taking orders yourself, you must find a cashier/greeter whose personality and enthusiasm will represent your business in the best way possible. This person should not only care about the product but be able to sell it.

Your cashier/greeter must be familiar enough with the menu to answer any question about the food and to gently up-sell your customers.

Definition

An up-sell is a casual suggestion to your customers to purchase appetizers, side dishes, drinks, and desserts. Up-selling to your guests can greatly increase your revenue and average check. It’s a great way to bring attention to areas of the menu you’d like to push, such as high-profit items.

The Hiring Process

When you’re ready to begin the interview process, place an ad in the newspaper or online. I recommend using Craigslist.com, which offers free and paid advertising space for employers to reach out to jobseekers. It’s an invaluable resource for attracting food service workers.

Beep! Beep!

Never hire the first person you interview; always meet multiple candidates and ask for references. Be aware of red flags—applicants who are late for their interview or have a history of jumping from job to job. In the end, rely on your instinct to tell you whether someone is a good fit for your business. Make sure you like them: you’ll be in tight quarters with these people, so you’ll be better off if you enjoy their company.

Here are a few questions you can ask applicants on their first interview:

For prep and on-truck cooks, you definitely want to include one or two auditions in the kitchen after the initial interview. You’ll want to observe their skill, conduct, efficiency, and attitude, and see if you can work comfortably and amiably beside them in small quarters.

Beware of arrogant cooks in the food truck kitchen. You want to work with people who are eager and open to learning, receptive to criticism, and respect your authority. There’s no room in a food truck for people with inflated egos and their own vision of your business. You’re better off with someone who’s reserved, fastidious, and respectful. Your food truck should be run like an army, and there’s no room for dissension among the ranks.

For your cashier/greeter applicants, you’ll want to observe them interacting with customers. Ask them to learn the menu and give them a trial period during which you compare their customer service skills and salesmanship with that of your other candidates.

Tip

Choose employees who, in addition to their normal duties, are qualified to drive the truck. Make sure they have a license and obtain a report on their driving history from the department of motor vehicles.

Training and Educating Your Staff

After you’ve hired an experienced, enthusiastic team for your food truck, you need to educate them on your menu, concept, and expectations for the business. Don’t assume that just because someone has a strong background in cooking or customer service he or she won’t need guidance and a clear outline of your expectations.

Setting the Right Tone

It’s crucial for the morale of your team and the overall success of the business that you establish from the very beginning an open dialogue between you and your staff, in which they can safely express any concern, suggestion, or grievance. Remember that you set the tone for the workplace; if you seem to see and expect the best in people, they’ll usually prove you right. If you choose to see the worst, your employees will prove you right on that, too.

Clearly communicate to each of your team members exactly what you expect from them and by what criteria you’ll be judging their performance.

Training

Taking the time to conduct training sessions and staff meetings not only keeps your employees on top of their game but also shows them that they’re valuable parts of the team.

Train your on-truck or prep cook one-on-one. Never throw a cook into the kitchen without giving him the opportunity to learn and practice the recipes. The auditions you hold as a part of the hiring process should double as training sessions. Teach your cook the recipes and ask him to replicate them. You’ll quickly sense the skill level of your potential employee.

Consider holding regular staff tastings to familiarize everyone with specials and to review the menu. Product knowledge is crucial for your front-of-the-truck staff.

Definition

Front-of-the-truck is a variation of front of the house, restaurant jargon for all the staff members who are on the floor and interact with customers.

Teaching the Importance of Customer Service

Set very specific customer service standards for your front-of-the-truck staff. Customers should be regarded as guests at all times. Your staff should strive to not just serve food but to provide an experience to each guest from the moment they’re greeted in line to when they walk away.

Beep! Beep!

Studies demonstrate that your guests will remember poor customer service more than the food. No matter how great your burgers are, customers won’t come back if they feel your staff was rude or dismissive. Good customer service, on the other hand, can outshine an average meal and make the overall experience positive and memorable. It’s by providing a high level of customer service that you connect with your clients and build a dedicated following.

Here are the complete steps of service, including some rules for interacting with your guests. You can copy this list and display it in the truck, or include it in your employee manual:

Customer response can be rather surprising when these principles are put into action. People respond well to kindness and gratitude, and will remember that they had an enjoyable interaction with you and your staff. The key is consistency. You must treat every guest the same way. It only takes one negative experience to lose a customer for life.

Scheduling

The most efficient way to schedule employees is to create a simple spreadsheet. Post a printed schedule in the truck and the commissary, and e-mail a copy to your staff at least three or four days before the start of each work week. Making schedules can be really tough for any business, especially when you have multiple part-time employees fighting for shifts or requesting time off. Luckily, your food truck doesn’t need a huge staff; making the schedule should be fairly straightforward if you hired wisely and chose people who are making this job a priority.

In general there are three shifts for workers on a food truck:

Tip

Be sure to get your schedule posted by the deadline you set for yourself so your staff can plan their personal time efficiently. If you can’t be punctual, how can you expect them to be?

Your spreadsheet should list the days you’re open, with a row for each position you’re scheduling. On slower days, you may be able to cut back on a set of hands in the kitchen or front of house. After you’ve been open for a couple of weeks, you’ll have a better grasp of which days require more help and on which you can do without, though business will always be changing based on spot availability.

Your staff should generally be able to predict the days on which they’ll be working, and their total hours for each week should remain reasonably constant. If you’re not consistent, their pay will fluctuate from week to week and they won’t be able to predict their income. It’s important to provide your staff with as much stability as possible so they can focus on doing the best job rather than looking for other work. Regard your staff’s scheduling needs as you would your own and never forget that everyone is there to make money.

Here’s a sample food truck schedule:

Establish a firm attendance policy from the get-go. Require your employees to notify you at least two hours in advance if they’re going to be late or absent. Be clear that it’s their responsibility to reach you or another supervisor; leaving a voicemail or text message, or having a co-worker explain your absence, isn’t acceptable. Request a doctor’s note for consecutive absences. If an employee is tardy and/or absent multiple times, disciplinary action may be warranted. Be sure to outline your attendance policies in your employee manual (see the following section).

Setting Policies

Even though you might be a team of only five or fewer, it’s important to set official policies and standards for your food truck. Actually, the fact that yours is such a small operation can give the impression that it’s okay to treat it less seriously than other businesses. You have to seize the reins from the very beginning and demand respect for your company and authority.

A great way to do this is to create an employee manual that provides information about the company and the standards, rules, and expectations you have for your staff. It should explain the concept behind the truck, the history and inspiration of the menu, and a little background on yourself so that your staff knows who you are and what inspired you. This information can be especially useful to your front-of-truck people when answering guests’ questions. All employees should be required to read and sign the manual, stating that they understand the policies and the consequences of violating them.

Your manual doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be thorough and look professional. The policies and signed statement need to be very clearly worded; you never know when a disgruntled ex-employee will take you to court to dispute the clarity or existence of the policy that got him or her fired. The manual is a way to not only educate your staff and get them excited about your business, but to legally protect you and your company.

Your manual should include but not be limited to the following:

Tip

Establish a set policy and protocol for requesting time off. Require the request in writing before that week’s schedule is made. Try to be flexible, but don’t tolerate last-minute requests. If you establish a healthy flow of communication with your staff, scheduling conflicts can be anticipated and solved.

Be sure to read the manual aloud with your staff and answer any questions they may have. They will respect you for setting firm policies and should feel valued, because most of the policies exist to protect them. Make it clear that these guidelines are designed to provide a safe and comfortable working environment. Keep a copy of the manual posted in the truck so that you and they can refer to it when necessary.

Motivating and Retaining Your Staff

Once you’ve assembled a great team and put firm policies in place, you want to keep them motivated and encourage a spirit of camaraderie. We’ve all had bosses who used fear to control us and make us feel small. You can foster warm, familial bonds between you and your staff and still maintain your authority. In fact, it’s the only right way to manage a business.

If you use kindness and reason, instead of threats and shouting, to persuade and motivate your staff, your team will want to work for you. Most people haven’t been exposed to this management style, and I’ll tell you from my own experience, that’s the only way to build loyalty to your company. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the money isn’t great; if your employees enjoy being at work, they’ll stick around. Not only that but they’ll come on time, avoid calling in sick, and bring their A game 100 percent of the time. An employee who’s excited about his job will bring his friends to eat at your truck and spread the word about you to his family, neighbors, and acquaintances.

The number one way to create a safe and peaceful working environment is to encourage open communication. Your staff should feel comfortable voicing their concerns, grievances, fears, and suggestions. They should never think they have to hide a problem from you or from anyone else on staff. One way to establish a strong flow of communication is to hold daily or weekly staff meetings before or after each shift. Open the floor to whoever wants to say something and applaud those who do. Remember that your employees may be aware of problems you aren’t; instead of taking these reports as criticism, you should welcome them for the betterment of your business.

This style of communication requires humility. You need your staff to respect your authority, but being humble in no way diminishes that. Your staff will respect you more for respecting them and seeing them as individuals. You can reinforce this by openly praising them for a job well done. Nothing—I repeat, nothing—will uplift and motivate your staff more than a little praise. It takes nothing away from you and can mean the world to them.

When you need to be negative, offer constructive criticism. Never throw your employees’ shortcomings back in their faces. If you’re communicating well and offering praise when warranted, they’ll have incentive enough to learn from their mistakes without you embarrassing them. They’ll appreciate the discreet way in which you point out room for improvement and work hard to prove to you that your gentle but firm style is effective.

You might want to take it a step further and express an interest in their personal lives. Don’t be intrusive, but inquire about their activities outside of work. Ask about their vacations, hobbies, dates, and performances. Not only will they be more at ease around you, but you’ll feel more comfortable leading your staff knowing that they trust and value your opinion.

A great way to encourage team spirit is to host company outings outside of work. Take your staff to a theme park or a sports event. Make sure no one ever feels left out; that can happen easily with workers who are less outgoing or assertive. You’re all stuck in a small space together so you might as well like each other and get along.

Truck Tales

In 2007, 23-year-old Tiger Wu founded Veggie Ninja, a vegetarian food truck in Reseda, California. Uncomfortable about managing a staff that was mostly older than him, Tiger encouraged them to express themselves by bringing their talents and personalities to their work. Together, they formed a singing group and later incorporated a karaoke machine into the side of the truck so patrons could perform while they waited in line. Tiger demonstrated that managing one’s staff with kindness translates into big success.

At the same time, you can’t tolerate any behavior that’s blatantly aggressive, disrespectful, or illegal. If company policies are violated, don’t get angry; simply apply the disciplinary protocol outlined in your employee manual. For many businesses, it goes something like this:

Of course, some infractions may warrant immediate suspension or termination, such as sexual harassment, drug abuse, or theft. These are instances where you’ll need to use your best judgment, keeping in mind that you never want the company to be in any way complicit in the illegal activities of an employee. Don’t lose your temper; remain cool and deal with the situation rationally.

If you can incorporate just a few of these principles into your management style, you’ll be operating well above the industry standard for positive work environments. Remember that there’s no conflict between being kind and being respected, or between humility and leadership. Furthermore, your staff’s collective warmth will infect your customers and attract many more.

The Least You Need to Know

• Your menu and concept define the number of employees you need on your truck, but in general more than four or five people will make for an uncomfortable workplace.

• Try to hire two people who can change off as prep and on-truck cooks, and consider handling the greeting/cashier duties yourself.

• Take the time to educate even experienced staff members on the rules of service for your truck, and create a manual that clearly sets forth your expectations and requirements for your employees.

• Good communication and praise when warranted will do more to motivate your staff than almost anything else.