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BASICS TRAINING

As supermarkets probe deeper into the realm of home-meal replacement, they're finding that effective training of associates is crucial -- and difficult.Indeed, in the interest of making their training load lighter, some retailers have actually begun simplifying their deli/food-service programs, or paring them back.The challenge, retailers told SN, is that today's deli associates are expected to do

As supermarkets probe deeper into the realm of home-meal replacement, they're finding that effective training of associates is crucial -- and difficult.

Indeed, in the interest of making their training load lighter, some retailers have actually begun simplifying their deli/food-service programs, or paring them back.

The challenge, retailers told SN, is that today's deli associates are expected to do a lot more than slice bologna. They may be charged with stir-frying Chinese fare and seeing that temperatures are maintained on a hot buffet. Or they may need to tell customers what to eat with chicken cordon bleu and what wine goes best with it.

Some simplification is in order to get employees up to speed quickly.

D&W Food Centers, Grand Rapids, Mich., for example, has taken Chinese food preparation out of its stores. Instead of teaching associates how to cook, the company can use the time saved to teach deli staffers about products and customer service, said Tom DeVries, food-service director for the 25-unit chain.

"We're not interested in having a production line behind the counter. Ideally, we want associates using their time to sell products," DeVries said.

Another deli/food-service executive pointed out that a retailer can roll out a new program to more stores faster -- and with more confidence -- if it's kept simple.

"If you create an operationally friendly program, you can implement it and export it efficiently and effectively to other stores," said Jarret Peppard, director of food service at 100-unit Kash n' Karry Food Stores, Tampa, Fla.

Training manuals themselves must be kept simple, too, said James Riesenburger, former director of deli operations at Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y. Riesenburger is now a partner in The Design Associates -- Riesenburger, Roberts & Leenhouts, a Rochester, N.Y.-based design and consulting firm.

"Six-inch thick manuals just collect dust," he said. He, like others, said the state of food-service training in the supermarket industry in general is shaky at best. "It's difficult to comment on the status of training because efforts differ so much and are in different stages of development, but the lack [of effective training] is sorely apparent," Riesenburger said.

Peppard of Kash n' Karry pointed out that as retailers become more savvy about food service, training climbs higher on the priority list.

Getting newly hired employees off-site for their initial training is important, to make sure the training isn't compromised by in-store pressures, said one retailer. But another said the most important aspect of training is to have a trainer or coach in the department at all times. And yet another recommended training a core group that will train other personnel as the program is rolled out to additional stores.

Dierbergs Markets, Chesterfield, Mo., began an aggressive training program a year and a half ago that involves both off-site classroom work and the tutelage of a dedicated trainer in every department at every store.

Meanwhile, D&W Food Centers, has begun to test computer-based, interactive training at selected stores.

And Kash n' Karry has trained core groups of food-service associates and has promoted key group members and exported them to other stores. But Peppard like others, stressed the importance of simplicity.

"We in the supermarket business have a hard time narrowing the focus," said Tom Pierson, professor of food marketing at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., and a close observer of fresh food trends in supermarkets. "The tendency is to try to be all things to all people, so it's important first to establish a vision of how we're going to offer meal solutions and then figure out what kind of people we need to see the vision through to the end.

"You don't have to hire a three-star chef," Pierson added.

Ironically, Kash n' Karry's Peppard agreed wholeheartedly with Pierson's final comment, despite the fact that he was formally trained as a chef at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.

"If your program requires a 'true' chef, you have the wrong program," Peppard said. "That may sound strange for me to say, but I consider myself to be first, a manager, a good business person. I'm also a good cook."

What's important, he said, is to create a food-service program that has variety and quality, but is simple enough to be easy to learn. Then, efficiency and profitability can be attained relatively quickly, he said.

With concepts like profitability and efficiency in mind, Peppard said the two words "chef" and "scratch preparation" may not even belong in the lexicon of grocery food-service programs at all.

"Both of those open doors to inconsistency in product quality, presentation and gross margin, and ultimately create disappointment in consumers," Peppard said. "By simplifying the knowledge required, you can also control the payroll cost of associates who will be managing and supervising departments."

Peppard said he made a particular effort to keep the food-service program at Kash n' Karry simple by building around a rotisserie menu. A carving station adds theater, but side dishes are offered at an adjoining self-service hot table. Keeping everything compact was part of the plan so carvers could stir the vegetables and keep the hot table stocked when they weren't carving.

The system of training associates at the first store, then spotting top performers, promoting them, and sending them out to help get the next program off the ground worked very well for him, but the key was simplicity, Peppard said.

D&W Food Centers is setting about "taking the complexities out of existing systems," DeVries said.

"For example, we've changed our Oriental food program from scratch, in-store preparation, to preparing the items at our central location and sending them out to stores as prepacked kits. Products just need to be rethermalized and panned up. We're doing the same with side dishes that go with the rotisserie. It takes the production labor out of the retail setting," he said.

"We're also going to fewer concepts, but we'll heighten each of them. One of our goals is to set associates free [from production] so they can concentrate on selling. We're profitable now, but [simplification] can extend the profitability," DeVries said.

D&W is currently training its front-end associates with a computer-based program and is testing the same type of program in two stores to train deli/food-service associates, DeVries said.

"In the past, we've tried several different methods of training -- internships, written and verbal training for certificates, and train-the-trainer programs -- but it's difficult to stick with them when you're in a tight labor situation," DeVries said. He added that the labor supply is particularly tight in D&W's market areas.

DeVries said that, ideally, newly hired associates would be taken off-site and computer trained for one to three days before they even take their place behind the counter.

"That way they're not being pulled in two directions, like being asked to fill in at the counter when someone's trying to train them," DeVries said.

When systems are made simpler, there's more time for product-knowledge training which Dierbergs Markets considers extremely important.

"We've had customer-service training for years, but we wanted to get further into the technical aspects, to teach employees more about what they do, more about products and services," said Fred Martels, director of human resources at Dierbergs.

"Our associates told us they wanted to know more so they could do their jobs better. That's one reason we've invested in an aggressive training program. We've always had a reputation for customer service, so we want to build on that," he added.

The program has paid off, Martels said. He declined to give figures, but said retention of employees has been increased significantly.

"Our turnover rate falls below the industry average and below our competitors' [turnover rate]," Martels said. Even though the investment has been a big one, Dierbergs is "absolutely committed to the program and the investment has been well worth it," he added.

Dierbergs made sure that employees had maximum input when the company developed a new training manual.

"We have a training manager who was responsible for assembling task forces from each department. They helped develop their own training manual. It was really from the grass roots up. Then before we rolled out the manuals, we went through them with every associate," Martels said. Before the final copies were printed, each associate had an opportunity to review the manual and make comments.

Trainers, pulled from the ranks for the most part, are assembled at Dierbergs' headquarters for classes that include customer service, food safety and product knowledge. Then, they work in their respective departments each day, offering on-the-job training. One of the key aspects of Dierbergs' training is that the company has a designated trainer in every department.

Peppard at Kash n' Karry said he sees tremendous value, much beyond the obvious, in getting associates up to par with product knowledge.

"When I was at Harris Teeter, we recognized that associates who knew their products reached a comfort level talking to customers. Also, if you help them identify taste profiles and get them to try combinations of products like hummus with pita bread, it increases their merchandising skills. They're apt to cross merchandise or talk about green beans almondine [as a good accompaniment] when a customer orders chicken cordon bleu," Peppard said.

Careful hiring is a big part of developing effective employees, but unlike some retailers who are recruiting from the traditional food-service industry, Peppard believes in bringing managers and supervisors from other departments into food service.

"If there's a good manager who's taking pride in his or her department, why not expand their responsibilities?" he asked. It doesn't take specialized knowledge if programs are kept simple, "like partnering with a quality manufacturer for a component program," he emphasized. And even hiring effective part-timers is easier, he said. "If your operation is simple, you're a step ahead."