There is a tool available to every pizza shop operator that will motivate your staff, increase sales, improve customer service and promote teamwork. The best part is that it won’t cost you a dime and it only takes a few minutes each day. The “tool” is pre-shift meetings and, if you begin regularly gathering your crew for a pre-shift powwow, you’ll decrease misunderstandings among employees about prices, changes in the menu offerings, wait staff table assignments and promotional specials –– and run a more effi cient operation overall.

In fact, according to Jeff Hookham, CEO of 4 Remarkable Service, a Dallasbased consulting company, if you’re not pre-shifting, you’re undermining the training that you’ve already done with employees — bringing communication to a standstill. “Your message, that you want good service and suggestive selling, isn’t getting (consistently) heard,” says Hookham. “So your service levels are going down.”

Perhaps you’ve done pre-shift meetings in the past and let the habit slide, you do them whenever there’s time (which usually means never) or you’ve never done them. To reap the rewards, restaurant managers who pre-shift regularly say you must conduct pre-shifts religiously before every revenue period.

John Pearson, manager of Boca Raton-based Boca’s Best Pizza, says that he uses pre-shifts for several reasons –– most importantly to keep the lines of communication open between him and his staff. “It lets me tell them what the focus is for the day or for the month and keeps everybody in the loop.”

Pearson says pre-shifting also keeps everyone updated about events such as upcoming holiday specials or when new menu items will roll out. Pre-shifting also spikes sales and offers Pearson an opportunity to communicate incentives to his crew.

“Sometimes I’ll hold a contest to see who can sell the most strawberry shortcakes tonight,” Pearson says. “One of the perks I give them is a special employee meal to whoever sells the most desserts during the dinner service. So it (pre-shifting) definitely helps with selling.”

Eduardo Valenzuela, director of operations for Coronado, Californiabased Village Pizzeria Bayside, a two-site company, also uses preshifts as a way to incentivize sales and says that it motivates his staff to up-sell and it creates friendly competition among staff.

Conducting effective pre-shift meetings takes a bit of preparation says Hookham. You don’t want to gather your staff and just “wing it.” Creating an agenda will ensure your meetings stay on course and have positive results. In fact, “keep it positive” should be the overall theme of your meetings.

“The biggest mistake managers make in a pre-shift meeting is letting it go negative,” Hookham says. “Typically these meetings take place right before your revenue period starts, so you don’t want a lot of negativity hitting the floor.”

That negativity will carry over and affect your customer service levels. You want your service staff greeting your customers feeling valued, positive and part of a team.

“Talking about negative things like ‘Jill’s not doing the work she’s supposed to be doing’ or ‘Jill and Joe aren’t getting along’ –– that stuff needs to be taken care of offl ine, not during a pre-shift.”

Instead, use your pre-shift time wisely by focusing on good news such as recognizing a team member who had the highest sales during a special promotion or received a compliment from a customer. Pre-shifts are also a good time to remind staff about things like portion control and cleanliness.

“The point of it is to get everybody to pull together and get the feeling of being a team before they go out,” says Bill Marvin, “The Restaurant Doctor,” a Gig Harbor, Washington-based consultant. “People come in with their life all over them and whatever else is going on, and it’s really critical to let all that slide away and say ‘We’re here to accomplish something together.’ ”

Another common mistake is going too long during pre-shifts. An ideal time frame is fi ve to ten minutes. “Pre-shifts need to be to be short and sweet,” Hookham says. “You really want to focus. Have a list of things to discuss and hit three things –– with one major and two minors.”

To foster a team atmosphere, give your employees the opportunity to weigh in and share their ideas. “Throw some questions out there that the team can answer. Instead of telling them how to interact with the guests, ask them how to interact with the guests and see what they have to say,” Hookham says.

Pearson, who has been pre-shifting regularly since opening Boca’s in February, says it’s an invaluable tool as far as setting and exceeding goals and getting everyone on the same page. “So many issues are resolved at the meetings where if you didn’t have it, you might miss. During meetings, I’m looking at uniforms; I’m looking at everything and it’s so much easier to correct in that environment,” he says.

Regular pre-shifting also sends a positive message to your staff. “I think if you do pre-shifts religiously, that shows the staff that you’re focused and they will stay focused. But if you just do them whenever you feel like it, it shows the management team isn’t on the same page,” says Valenzuela. 



Pre-Shifting Dos and Don’ts

Pre-shift meetings can be an invaluable management tool – if done right. Here are some suggestions for running effective pre-shift meetings.

Do: Hold Pre-shifts Jeff Hookham, CEO of 4 Remarkable Service notes that, overall, employees are happier in work environments that foster regular communication.

Don’t: End on a sour note If a meeting takes a turn for the negative, steer it back to the positive as quickly as possible. Never send your employees to the floor worried or angry about something said in the meeting.

Denene Brox is a Kansas City-based freelance writer who regularly covers restaurant and business topics.