Snooze and Wisetail: Revolutionizing Training and Culture in the Restaurant Industry

Snooze, an AM Eatery, is not just redefining breakfast with culinary creativity and heartfelt hospitality; it's also revolutionizing employee training and engagement using the Wisetail Learning Management System (LMS). This article explores how Snooze and other restaurants leverage Wisetail and other LMS platforms to streamline training, foster a strong company culture, and ultimately improve employee performance and customer experience.

Snooze: A Story of Innovation and Community

Snooze is dedicated to redefining breakfast through culinary creativity, heartfelt hospitality, and a commitment to its communities. They aim to disrupt the ordinary, using responsibly sourced ingredients and inventive ideas. Beyond the plate, Snooze invests in local communities to create inclusive spaces. Snooze team members bring their authentic selves to work each day, allowing them to provide genuine care and exceptional service to their guests.

The Power of a Restaurant Learning Management System (LMS)

In the restaurant industry, where high turnover rates, constant menu changes, and evolving safety regulations are the norm, keeping every team member on the same page is a significant challenge. A restaurant LMS offers a centralized, consistent, and engaging solution to these challenges.

Instead of relying on outdated training methods like one-off sessions or paper manuals, an LMS provides a virtual training hub where managers can:

Upload and create engaging training materials.
Assign courses tailored to specific roles.
Track each team member’s progress from a centralized dashboard.

Benefits of Implementing an LMS:

Consistency: Ensures every employee receives the same training, regardless of location or role.
Time Savings: Frees up managers' time by automating training delivery and tracking.
Accountability: Provides clear insights into employee progress, quiz results, and certifications.
Engagement: Uses interactive elements like videos, checklists, and gamification to make learning more appealing.
Scalability: Facilitates easy rollout of new menus, POS features, and safety updates across all locations.

Snooze's Implementation of Wisetail LMS

Snooze uses Wisetail LMS to prioritize culture and engagement across its locations. New hires, affectionately called "Snoozers," are welcomed through an interactive platform called "The Experience." Through this platform, they learn brand values, job skills, and even submit pancake recipe ideas for a "Pancake of the Week" competition.

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Key Features of Wisetail LMS

Wisetail's LMS is designed to be a user-friendly and effective tool for restaurant training and development. Key features include:

Culture and Communication: Custom-branded LMS to build company culture, becoming a central hub for all employees.
Course Authoring: Intuitive admin tools for creating engaging content tailored to learners' needs.
Mobile and Tablet Friendly: Accessible on all devices, ensuring convenient learning for the modern user.
Limit Access: Designate who can access specific content, limiting wage liability.
Better, Faster Training: Reduces time to productivity by delivering engaging culture and training from day one.
Improved Communication: Delivers updates to all employees and franchisees instantly, receiving real-time feedback.
Reporting and Dashboards: Easily track progress, identify skill gaps, and generate compliance reports.

Torchy's Tacos and Wisetail: A Recipe for Success

Torchy's Tacos has also seen explosive growth using Wisetail's LMS. With over 88% user adoption across 60+ locations, Torchy's has set a high standard for training and development. Torchy’s approach to their LMS includes community pages, gamification, HR integration, interactive tools, a document repository, and user management & reporting.

Choosing the Right Restaurant LMS

Selecting the right LMS is crucial for maximizing its benefits. Consider the following factors when evaluating your options:

Mobile-Friendly Access: Ensures staff can access training materials on their phones and tablets.
POS Integration: Connects with your point of sale (POS) system for seamless training within the existing ecosystem.
Customizable Training Content: Allows you to upload your own videos, add menu-specific details, and tailor training by role or location.
Robust Reporting and Dashboards: Enables easy tracking of progress, identification of skill gaps, and generation of compliance reports.
Support for Different Learning Styles: Blends videos, quick reads, and microlearning modules to keep training engaging and accessible.
Scalability and Pricing: Choose a platform that can grow with your business without losing its personal touch.

The right LMS should feel like a natural extension of your restaurant culture, empowering your team to learn, improve, and deliver consistent hospitality.

Implementing an LMS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Rolling out a new LMS can be straightforward. Here’s a simple roadmap to get started:

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Identify Training Goals and Pain Points: Determine where your current process falls short. Clarifying these challenges will guide which LMS features matter most.
Create Core Training Modules: Begin with essentials like onboarding, menu knowledge, and safety protocols. Then, layer in specialized lessons.
Assign Training by Role: Tailor content for servers, cooks, bartenders, and managers so everyone learns what’s relevant to their job.
Set Up Progress Tracking and Incentives: Use built-in dashboards to track completion rates and quiz results. Consider small rewards to motivate your team.
Gather Feedback and Refine Content: Update modules based on staff input to keep training fresh, practical, and effective.

The Impact of Training on Restaurant Operations: A Case Study of Thompson Hospitality

Thompson Hospitality, a company with diverse restaurant brands, exemplifies the transformative power of standardized training and technology integration. By implementing a unified point-of-sale system (Toast), electronic money transfers (GradShare), web-based manager logs (ShiftNote), and consolidated scheduling systems, Thompson Restaurants rewrote every piece of training, digitized it, and assigned it to every associate in the company. They also implemented Mirus Restaurant Solutions as a business intelligence tool and Zendesk to create tickets for IT, HR, and marketing collateral.

This comprehensive approach has enabled Thompson Hospitality to:

Provide uniform levels of service, hospitality, and quality across multiple locations.
Create a repeatable standard for measurable and scalable value.
Improve customer data targeting and create personalized customer journeys.
Promote from within, offering employees opportunities for growth and relocation.

Restaurant LMS: Addressing Common Concerns

Cost: While there is an investment, the long-term savings from reduced turnover and improved efficiency often outweigh the initial expense.
Affordability for Small Restaurants: Many LMS providers offer flexible plans designed for independent operators.
Implementation Time: Most systems can be set up in a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the amount of existing content.
Accessibility for Employees without Smartphones: Most LMS platforms work on any device, including tablets or shared computers.
Technical Skills Required: Modern LMS tools are built for busy restaurant operators, with user-friendly interfaces and preloaded courses.
Replacement of In-Person Training: An LMS complements hands-on training by covering the basics digitally, allowing managers to focus on coaching and culture.

Join the Snooze Story: A Call to Action

Snooze is looking for individuals passionate about building impactful learning experiences to design and deliver engaging, effective, and brand-aligned learning experiences for all levels. The ideal candidate will:

Utilize instructional design models like ADDIE or Kirkpatrick to develop and evaluate training content.
Assess learner needs to inform project priorities and ensure organizational alignment.
Simplify complex operational processes into clear, accessible learning materials.
Review existing training materials for accuracy and relevance to brand standards.
Collaborate across departments to create effective learning solutions that meet operational and leadership objectives.
Assist in the creation of videos and multimedia content supporting training and development.
Innovate with eLearning programs and instructional design systems.
Test eLearning modules to ensure effectiveness and usability.
Gather feedback to continuously enhance content quality.
Support various departments with instructional design needs related to internal training.
Effectively communicate available training resources to ensure accessibility for all teams.
Ensure learning content is accessible in all necessary languages.
Commit to personal professional development at least once per quarter.
Engage with restaurants and training sessions in person at least once per quarter.
Collaborate with team leaders to meet departmental goals and objectives.
Perform additional tasks as needed to support Snooze’s operational goals.

Benefits of Working with Snooze:

Competitive annual bonus program.
Unlimited Paid Time Off through our "Work Hard, Play Hard Days" program.
Comprehensive health, dental, vision, pet, and accident insurance with employer contributions.
Employer-paid short-term disability and life insurance benefits.
401k and Roth 401k plans.
Paid sick days, holidays, birthday, and anniversary dates at Snooze.
Reimbursement for cell phone and internet expenses.
Meal benefits for enjoying delicious Snooze food.
Opportunities for community engagement and professional growth.

Prerequisites:

Extensive experience in adult learning principles.
2+ years in an instructional design role with graphic design experience.
Experience in designing and implementing training programs, preferably in hospitality or service sectors.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
Experience with eLearning authoring tools.
Familiarity with Wisetail LMS and Operations Platform is a plus.

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tags: #snooz #learning #wisetail #features