Contests for the heart of the house can be hard to find. Here’s one designed exclusively for cooks. It’s easy to implement and can help stimulate creativity and pride among your kitchen staff. It will also benefit your menu merchandising efforts.
To pull this off, all you’ll need is a little creativity from your cooks and a prize that every cook would want. Here are the steps to put “Special Effects” into action:
- Challenge each of your cooks to create one special per week. Encourage them to be cost-effective, but allow them to be imaginative. That way they’ll put a lot of pride in the dishes they prepare.
- Run the Special Effects contest for as many weeks as you have cooks, keeping track of whose special sold the most. Announce the winner after every cook has taken a turn, with the cooks and their specials scheduled in a rotation.
- Ask your cooks what kind of prize would please them the most (within reason, of course), and award the winning cook that prize.
Get More Restaurant Management Tips
The restaurant management section of our blog is dedicated to helping you meet your leadership goals. Check it out!
