Before Firing an Employee, Give Them a Chance

The reasons for letting go of a restaurant employee vary case-to-case, and some cases will make the decision easier than others. There’ll be times when you need to fire an employee on the spot — intolerable actions like stealing from the restaurant and engaging in threatening or hostile behavior toward a coworker or guest. There might also be times where you need to lay off employees for financial reasons. 

Terminations based on an employee’s actions, behavior, and conduct might be the most common, but they should never come without warning or an opportunity to improve. It’s better to give hired employees opportunities to improve than fire them and spend time and resources searching for, hiring, and training new employees. 

Ryan Egozi, director of operations at SuViche Hospitality Group, in Miami, FL, told us they have a system in place to organize their team around employee reviews, warnings, and terminations. Ryan told us, “We have a process of documentation and classifying behaviors, actions, and issues so the team members understand they can make mistakes and have opportunities to improve.” 

“We coach, teach, and document every step, so it’s clear not only to that team member but to the rest of the team that we’re invested in the growth and improvement of each individual. But not at the cost of the team’s efficiency, morale, and unity.” 

Performance reviews give you a chance to offer clear steps for improvement and underline what you expect from employees. When done well, an honest performance review can motivate and help people improve.