During the holiday season, we’re so busy making sure our customers are feeling the love, our employees are often left out. And that’s okay. Employees you want to keep want to be busy… they want to earn more tips, make the shift fly by and maybe get some overtime. Then, when they’re not at work, they want to be preparing for their own holidays.
That’s why holiday parties after the holidays seem to work best for everyone in this business. Here are some ideas to make your holiday party even more successful:
- Poker party – Whenever you provide some type of game that forces people to move around and interact, you’ll build relationships between people who rarely communicate. Poker, bunko and even charades are all easy ways you can add excitement to your party.
- Comedy club – Sure, you could all go to the comedy club, but consider bringing entertainment in-house since you already have the space, food and drinks. Music is great, but often too loud to let guests really interact. A comedian with a couple of short acts can add a lot of fun to your party.
- Who me? – Ask team members to write down two things about themselves that may be a surprise (like “once hitch-hiked to Mexico” or “class president in high school”). Then mix them up and read each one to the group. Team members guess who it is and after all the statements are made, the answers are revealed and everyone learns more about their co-workers.
- Award ceremony – The holiday party is the perfect time to publicly award your team. On top of achievement awards, create enough contests that everyone can win something. Door prizes, baby photo contests (match your team member with the photo) as well as all-in-fun prizes (best smile, loudest laugh, etc.) ensures that everyone wins something.
Get More Restaurant Management Tips
The restaurant management section of our blog is dedicated to helping you meet your leadership goals. Check it out!
