July 09, 2025
Smart training builds confident teams, stronger systems, and better guest experiences. Here’s how top restaurant leaders do it fast and without cutting corners.
Training isn’t a luxury. It’s the backbone of every shift, system and service. But in an industry known for high turnover and tight margins, many restaurants still treat training like a side project instead of a core investment.
The result? New hires get thrown onto the line without enough prep. SOPs exist, but no one explains them. Skills vary from shift to shift, and quality suffers.
At MAJC, we’ve interviewed more than 40 chefs and operators on the Restaurant Ready and Serving Success podcasts. What we’ve learned is this: Effective training isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing it smarter, with clarity, consistency and a little creativity.
Here’s how top-performing restaurants train new staff quickly, without sacrificing quality.
1. Build the System Before You Need It
Training starts long before a new hire shows up. The best operators have systems in place that take the guesswork out of onboarding, so when someone new joins the team, the pathway is already clear. That means having a documented training flow: station guides, shadow days, checklists and scheduled touchpoints.
As André Natera puts it: “If you’re trying to figure out training while you’re busy, it’s too late.” And HopDov’s Annie Eisemann agrees: “If you don’t have a system, you’re training on vibes.” Training isn’t just about speed. It’s about repeatability. That’s how you ensure quality, even under pressure.
2. Show, Don’t Just Tell
Learning by doing is still the gold standard in hospitality. Most strong operators blend short bursts of information with guided, hands-on work. New hires shadow teammates, practice real tasks and check their progress with short, structured reviews. And as HopDov’s Molly Hopper Sandrof points out, it’s critical to avoid overwhelm: “Chunk it out. Day one should just be: here’s the space, here’s your buddy, here’s the vibe.”
Graham Elliot says, “You can’t learn the rhythm of the kitchen from a binder.” And Michel Nischan adds that visual and kinetic training helps make knowledge stick. Use show-and-tell, short videos and real-time demos. Then build in moments to practice and reflect before service gets too intense.
3. Pair People Up and Build Belonging
New hires don’t just need instruction. They need relationships. The fastest way to build confidence and reduce turnover? Give them a person, not just a packet. A buddy, mentor or designated point of contact gives your training structure a heartbeat.
Emily Luchetti calls mentorship the secret sauce of great teams. Gabriel Rucker talks about the power of personal connection: “If someone’s struggling, I want them to know they can come to me.” And Annie and Molly remind us that new hires are watching everything: “Culture is trained, too. If their buddy is negative, they will be too.” Choose your culture carriers carefully.
4. Train the Managers, Too
Most training systems fall apart at the delivery point. If your managers haven’t been trained to teach, they’re improvising, and that leads to inconsistency, confusion and missed expectations. HopDov urges operators to be clear about who owns onboarding: “Don’t leave it to chance. Make it someone’s job.”
Ron McKinlay puts it plainly: “If your leads don’t know what good looks like, they can’t coach it.” Managers need tools, structure and accountability. So train the trainers, and then check in on how they’re doing, too.
5. Feedback Can’t Wait Until Week Two
Don’t wait for the 30-day review. New hires need frequent, specific feedback starting day one. It’s how they know what’s going well, what needs adjustment and that someone’s paying attention. And it doesn’t have to be formal, just honest and clear.
HopDov teaches a “praise and redirect” model: Start with what’s working, then gently shift to what needs improvement. Joe Flamm offers a simple rule: “One thing they’re doing well, one thing to tighten up.” And Meghan Blair-Valero recommends tracking a few key metrics, like order accuracy or pace, to guide those conversations with data, not just feeling.
6. Don’t Forget the Why
You can teach someone how to stock a station or run the register. But if you don’t explain why it matters—why it’s done that way, what it connects to, what the impact is—you miss a powerful opportunity to build culture and purpose.
Sarah Grueneberg makes this part of her onboarding: “They’re not just learning a station. They’re learning what hospitality means here.” HopDov backs that up: “Training is the first place to set expectations around the values you say you care about.” Make it part of the conversation. The tasks are the training, but the why is what sticks.
Bottom Line: Start Small, Stay Consistent
Training doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be intentional. Every restaurant has its own rhythm, and strong training helps new team members find their place in it.
The most effective operators don’t wait until someone’s failing to start teaching. They build systems that work from day one. They mentor, they check in and they lead by example. That’s what turns a first week into long-term retention, and a new hire into a team player.
At MAJC, AI helps us organize thoughts and speed up workflows—but every article is shaped, refined, and approved by real people who live and breathe this industry. We think honesty (like hospitality) works best when it’s real.
