My Secret Tool For F&B Service Training That Really Works
Unlocking my secret behind successful F&B service training plans.
CONCEPTS
Michael Jenni
2/18/20232 min read
My Secret Tool
Tronc is the determination of how a restaurant's service charge is distributed (plus tips if pooled). Competencies are measurable training outcomes that can be assessed in the form of a test. A simple pass or fail. My secret tool for F&B service training is a transparent tronc ladder, where tronc is divided on a weighted points scale; the more points, the greater ones share of tronc. For example, if there are two employees, one has 3 points and the other has 7 and they both work the same shift pattern, their shares of tronc are 30% and 70% respectively. The tronc ladder works like a charm because cash is a powerful motivator.
How It Works
The appointed tronc master divvies up the tronc and the calculation is transparent. A weekly or fortnightly period is best for maximum impact as a training motivator. Everyone joins the tronc at the bottom of the ladder (regardless of title) and progresses up in points as soon as they pass all of the competencies for each level.
Service charge for each period is divided by the weighted points scale. Employment type can be the second variable to differentiate between full and part time employees.
Share of tips is calculated separately from service charge. Tips are divided between those on duty using the weighted points scale.
Other Applications
Even without tronc, the ladder doubles up as the outline for a logical training plan. It's useful for onboarding, cross-training, succession planning, and enables structured peer-to-peer training. But to really motivate desired behaviors, this tool is most effective together with tronc.
