Hourly Pay Counter-Productive?

When employees are paid the same hourly wageThey earn $30 (2.5 percent x $1,200) instead of
whether the restaurant is slow or busy,many$21 by giving you $200 in extra sales.
simply hope it is slow - because it's less work forThat's a financial win for you and the employees.
the same amount of money. Tofollow the logicAn additional $9 per shift for them overthe
then, the business owner has a frontline ofcourse of 200 shifts in a year is a $1,800 raise
employees who really want theopposite of whatand, more importantly, gives them acommon
the owner does.focus with the business owner --- to make more
What would prevent you from looking at yourmoney!
sales data and putting the cashiers orIn the back of the house, take more of a bonus
entirefront-line sales team (if you have aapproach. Set a food-cost hurdle near theideal
production line for subs or burritos) on acost you should be running and offer a 10-20 cent
commissionor incentive program?per hour bonus for the week to theteam if they
For example, if a cashier sells $1,000 worth ofachieve the goal. It promotes teamwork
product over three hours at $7 per hour,they(everyone focused on lowering costs)and individual
earn $21, but wish they only had to sell $800. Putefforts (the more hours you work, the more
an incentive program in where thecashier canmoney you make).
earn 2.5 percent of everything they sell. MakeAdditionally, you could run the shift short one
sure the percentage ensures theyearn aboveemployee and offer everyone a $1 per hourbonus
minimum wage. Now, they are motivated to sellfor the shift. It's amazing how the kitchen can run
more --- whether it's movingmore customers thrueven better with 5 employees instead of 6 and
the line or improving the check average. It's allyou save labor dollars.
about total sales.Today's generation wants to succeed. You just
Imagine the next shift where employees workhave to design the right system to get
harder and sell $1,200 worth of product.themmotivated to have the same goals you do!