Restaurant Benchmarking Tool

Background and Challenge

Qatalyst has developed a benchmarking tool that can be applied to range of different topics. This project focused on restaurants in BC. The Chefs’ Table Society is working to address the ongoing labour shortages by empowering individuals and strengthening workplace practices. This project aimed to pilot practical solutions to help foodservice employers create healthier workplace environments, reduce turnover, and more effectively attract and retain skilled workers. The project involved designing a diagnostic and benchmarking tool to diagnose HR and cultural challenges faced by restaurants and then providing support to them in making improvements. A series of 30 resource materials and tools were developed which provide recommended readings, best practices, and market-relevant guidance. In addition, the Guide to Restaurant Culture Shift was developed which provides an overview of the project and resources with links to the tools, templates and resources.

Role of the Tool

The tool takes input from management and sometimes staff members through a detailed questionnaire, benchmarks the organization against others in the database, identifies opportunities for improvement and links the users to resource materials, knowledge database, online materials or LLM-generated recommendations that can assist them in making those improvements.

Results

The diagnostic tool was developed and has been tested through meeting with restaurateurs throughout BC. The tools is available online and will continue to be used by restaurants seeking to assess their operations, identify opportunities for improvement, and make changes in workplace culture, HR practices and policies, and staff recruitment, development and retention.