In the restaurant business, communication is paramount. When messages get lost because of language barriers, there is often a direct impact on guest service. English training for Latino restaurant employees can make the difference between delivering exceptional guest service and being on the receiving end of a negative online review. Many restaurant owners and managers have discovered what we here at Workplace Languages have always known – the benefits of implementing an English training program for Spanish-speaking employees far outweigh the costs.
Workplace English: Developed Specifically for the Restaurant Industry
Just like you wouldn’t pick up any customer service training program to train your servers, you also can’t expect a generic language training program to be effective in your restaurant. Restaurant employees need restaurant training. This is true for almost every topic, and is especially true of English language training.
Our English Toolkit for Latinos in the Foodservice Industry was created in consultation with a major restaurant chain and has been used in hundreds of restaurants around the globe. It works because it takes a “grammar-less” approach to English training. The goal of the program is not to get employees to speak and write perfect English, it’s to help them communicate effectively in a restaurant workplace. Restaurants that have implemented the program report many benefits such as:
- Improved communication across the board.
- A rise in morale among their entire restaurant team.
- Increased efficiency and adherence to policies and procedures.
- Fewer accidents and better safety records.
- Happier guests and improved guest loyalty.
Features of an Effective English Training Program
Latino employees, in general, want to communicate more effectively in the workplace. In our experience, very few are resistant to English training. In the rare cases when an employee seems disinterested, we almost always see that attitude change as their confidence improves. Our English Toolkit for Latinos in the Foodservice Industry uses tried-and-true workplace language training techniques to ease the employee into simple phrases they can use immediately. From there, they learn more English skills specific to their workplace. Every part of the training is easy, effective, and applicable to their jobs. The program is designed to be implemented by a non-Spanish speaking trainer or manager. Or, Latino employees can use the kit as a self-study program. All materials are in English and Spanish and there is a bilingual audio CD that will help participants every step of the way.
