It isn’t easy or… Business ends…

It isn’t easy or…even always pretty!

Being an effective manager takes a pretty broad range of skills. First and probably foremost it requires extensive knowledge of the task that’s being overseen. Then it relies on having the ability to communicate in clear language to articulate the actions being directed so that associates understand exactly what’s expected of them.

Of course it’s also underpinned by the ability to create clear goals that are believable, achievable and measurable and then establishing the plans necessary to accomplish them. And it goes without saying that follow up to evaluate all of that is maybe the cornerstone of being really successful.

And while we’re at it there’s that almost intangible skill of creating an atmosphere where associates who’re self-starters can flourish and those who may not fall into that special class can be motivated to get on with it.

Yep. It’s a long list and one that few of us have anything near mastery of as we take the first step into supervision. But with study, an open mind and a (especially) enough humble willingness to realize that we’ll occasionally fail to do some of those tasks well, we may just master most of them.

Business ends …Up, mixed or down?

When it comes to processing flatware there are just about as many opinions of the best practice as there are ways if can possibly be done. There’re the adherents of a first pass in a flat rack followed by washing pass two in upright cup racks. And even those who agree on that two-step process have varying opinions as to whether the flatware is washed business end up or down.

There’s a case to be made for mixing forks, knives and spoons in cups upright for pass one followed by sorting them for pass number two. Oh and some will vehemently defend running them on flat racks twice and only then sorting them into storage cups after they’ve dried. By the way we probably all agree that flatware should be stored business end down in those cups to avoid germy hands contacting the business ends.

But perhaps the one area of universal agreement is that presoaking will increase the effectiveness of virtually any reasonable sorting and washing regimen. And finally, everyone will fully agree with the need to deliver our customers’ patrons flatware that’s free of food particles, reasonably spot and streak free and absolutely sanitized.