The Samovar Tea Lounge: It's All About Tea and Service (1/2)

Teaching Staff to Embrace the Tea Lifestyle San Francisco’s Samovar Tea Lounge, opening its doors barely a year and a half ago in the Mission-Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, has already won critical and customer acclaim for its commitment to the tea lifestyle. The harried and hurried pace of life in the city can be endured - and embraced- by choosing tea as a perfect vehicle for experiencing relaxation, health, and social intimacy. Jesse Jacobs, co-owner of the Samovar Tea Lounge, feels that,as more people experience the tea lifestyle, the world will become a better place. The beautifully decorated and inviting Samovar Tea Lounge offers over 100 types of tea and herbal infusions in their culturally appropriate serving styles and a full menu featuring sweet and savory, small and large dishes. Samovar Tea Lounge also offers branded retail tea, teaware, books and tea related events in a hip yet comfortable environment drawing on many influences from pan-tea culture. How does a business dedicated to improving the life of a customer train its staff to speak from the heart and build a dedicated following? We asked Jessie Jacobs to explain to Asian Restaurant News readers about his training philosophy: Food service business is now a commodity--so many choices, themes, fast food, fine dining, etc. -To succeed as a business, you must stand apart--SERVICE is the only remaining differentiator. -To guarantee phenomenal service (which will bring the customers, and allow the business to thrive) you need a framework, and a process with which to deliver that framework. -As the employees are the frontline of the business, they need a clear understanding of service as you see it, and how they deliver this service--their training must clearly define how to guarantee this service. -Our model clearly illustrates how our employees fit into the business, but, more imporantly, WHY the business is here, and why they they are with this business! HOW WE DO IT AT SAMOVAR TEA LOUNGE... -we hire based on: Does this person "get it?" That is, do they understand what we are trying to do, and are they passionate about joining us in our Mission? -Attitude is more important that experience. -We hire those looking for a temporary job while at school as well as those who want to pursue a career with us--the important element is only whether they are capable of helping us carry out our Mission. -We listen to our employees in who we hire--they are the front line screeners; if they are excited about someone, we will speak with that candidate -We have a thorough training program for every role: General Manager, Assistant Manager, Tea-tender, Dishwasher--all based on what we call: ESP(Environment, Service, Product)--the details differ a bit for each role, but, they all pertain to these three elements -Our "Passport to Tea Life" is a training manual that all employees have 6 weeks to complete, at their pace--covering everything within the ESP model(how to open, how to close, understanding how to brew all the different teas, what to say to a customer who orders coffee, how do deal with an unhappy customer, etc.) SOME LOGISTICAL THINGS REGARDING HR, TRAINING, ETC. -We hold monthly staff meetings, during which we give updates, listen to the staff, have fun -We write a Staff newsletter -We have developed a Web based schedule and email correspondence -All opportunities, from schedule requests, to promotions are merit based: we say, excel at Samovar and doors open. For example, a current dishwasher came to us 8 months ago with no English skills--but a great work ethic and passion for our business and customers. Now he is on the verge of being an Assistant Manager who handles our money,opens and closes the store. He wants to grow with us, and we want him to flourish! EMPLOYEE BENEFITS -Giving employees more than a paycheck builds loyalty and lowers turnaround