If you want to create tremendous value in your restaurant business, think about how HR and marketing teams work together to grow the two most important stakeholders: your customers and your team who serve them. Most restaurants have crafted compelling customer value propositions (CVPs) and, increasingly, strong employee value propositions (EVPs). However, the true power lies in ensuring these propositions reinforce one another—much like the intertwined strands of a double helix in DNA.
Let’s begin by exploring what we mean by “Customer Value Proposition” and “Employee Value Proposition”:
CVPs and EVPs should be distinctive, creating “magnetism” that attracts the right customers and employees. When HR and marketing align these propositions, they become critical drivers of your brand strategy and key contributors to long-term, profitable growth.
As we often say in the restaurant industry: “Give our team the experience you want them to give your guests.”
Your employer brand is how you present your restaurant to potential recruits and current team members. A compelling employer brand will help you attract high-quality candidates and retain top talent.
For example, imagine a job seeker asking one of your team members about working at your restaurant. The best response would be a compelling story about your restaurant’s culture, values, and team experience. Marketing knows how to craft and promote this story, while HR ensures it’s an authentic workplace reflection. Without top-tier team members, your restaurant’s operations will struggle to deliver on your CVP, and your marketing messages may fall flat.
To keep your employer brand strong, HR and marketing can collaborate to measure team sentiment through platforms like Indeed and Glassdoor and internal engagement surveys.
Effective internal communication is vital to keeping your team informed, motivated, and aligned with company goals. HR and marketing can collaborate to ensure communications are clear, branded, and inspiring, whether you’re sharing a new menu rollout or team milestones.
Marketing can help craft engaging internal newsletters, team updates, and training materials that reflect the same branding and tone your restaurant uses externally. HR, on the other hand, can ensure the content is meaningful and relevant to employees. Consistency across internal and external communications ensures everyone—from servers to chefs—feels connected to the company’s mission.
Your company brand lives in the minds of your customers, while your employer brand lives in the minds of your team members. When these two align, your restaurant creates a cohesive identity for both guests and employees.
Imagine promoting your restaurant as a trendy, relaxed spot, only to have new hires find a disorganized and chaotic work environment. The disconnect would drive employees away and damage your external brand.
When HR and marketing work together to ensure your external brand accurately reflects your internal culture, your restaurant will deliver a consistent experience to both customers and employees. New hires will understand what to expect, and guests will receive the service your marketing promises.
Recruitment marketing is how you market your restaurant to potential new hires. It involves strategies that attract talent even before they apply. HR and marketing can partner to ensure recruitment materials reflect the restaurant’s culture and attract the right candidates who are passionate about bringing your CVP to life.
For instance, your restaurant could feature a recruitment campaign during peak hiring seasons. Imagine a campaign spotlighting your team’s experiences, showing potential hires how your workplace fosters growth and camaraderie. It could also tie into one of your seasonal promotions, showcasing your team as integral to the customer experience.
To accelerate growth, the employee experience must reinforce the customer experience. HR and marketing can work together to design training programs and team recognition efforts that will strengthen the same values and messaging you use in customer-facing campaigns.
Employees who feel connected to the brand will better deliver the experience customers expect. For example, if your restaurant prides itself on fast, friendly service, you should have internal programs that encourage and reward employees for delivering just that. HR can design the program, and marketing can help promote it internally in a way that excites and motivates the team.
Years of service awards are one of companies’ most popular employee recognition programs. Companies recognize their team on their work anniversaires and send congratulatory emails. Some programs offer certificates, plaques, and other gifts to symbolize their value. When we design the Years of Service Awards program, we made sure to reenforce the Founder’s story of starting the company by connecting his story to the awards.
Fun fact: those symbols are also part of a mural in many stores. And, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a hard hat and sockeye salmon mounted in every Raising Cane’s restaurant.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is an excellent example of an organize where the Customer Value Proposition supports the Employee Value Proposition:
By working together, HR and marketing can accelerate your restaurant’s growth by creating alignment between customer and employee experiences. A well-defined CVP attracts loyal customers, while a strong EVP draws and retains the talent necessary to deliver that CVP. When the two propositions reinforce each other, your restaurant will thrive, attracting both diners and dedicated team members who contribute to the business’s long-term success.
Ultimately, it’s all about winning together—inside your restaurant and out.
Consult to Grow® provides various tools and services to help you improve your operational performance as you scale and grow your business. We can expertly assess your scalability, develop tactical plans, facilitate planning, and more. Ready to get started?
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