Restaurant Employee Training: Preparing the Next Generation for Hospitality

Summary Transcript

00:06–01:49 | Why Great Hospitality Teams Start With Culture

Anthony Presley welcomes Sam Stanovich, Senior Vice President of Development at Craveworthy Brands, to discuss labor, leadership, and the changing restaurant workforce. Sam begins with a simple principle: great hospitality teams win when they have great cultures.

Rather than treating employees as interchangeable parts of an operation, Sam emphasizes that restaurants are fundamentally in the people business. Culture influences how employees are taught, motivated, developed, and ultimately how they deliver hospitality to guests.

01:49–04:20 | Restaurant Employee Training Is Never Finished

Sam argues that hospitality cannot simply automate away its need for people. Restaurants still depend on employees who can communicate, connect with guests, and create experiences. The challenge is teaching and motivating younger employees in ways that match how they learn today.

At Craveworthy Brands, training combines technology with human interaction. Short digital learning modules make information easier to consume, but they are reinforced through people and on-the-job training. Sam emphasizes that restaurant employee training isn’t something operators should complete once and check off a list. Employees learn differently, businesses continuously evolve, and new products and operational changes create an ongoing need for development.

This philosophy connects to a broader culture of continuous improvement: learn from today’s performance so the organization can operate better tomorrow.

04:20–08:32 | AI as a Tool for Better Restaurant Training

The conversation turns to artificial intelligence and its potential impact on restaurant jobs. Sam expects AI to create meaningful workforce changes, particularly in areas where technology can perform tasks previously handled by people. However, he doesn’t see AI eliminating the need for human judgment or hospitality.

Instead, Sam compares AI to the evolution of the screwdriver. A basic tool became progressively faster, more versatile, and more powerful. AI represents another evolution in the tools available to restaurant leaders.

The opportunity is to use that power responsibly. Sam stresses the importance of establishing guardrails around AI use and being cautious about putting company information into unrestricted public tools.

He also describes a practical application for employee development. Restaurants can analyze recurring training questions or frequently missed assessments to identify where training isn’t working. AI can then help leaders examine those patterns, explore possible solutions, and improve how future training is designed and delivered.

08:32–11:55 | Employees Have More Opportunities to Teach Themselves

Anthony and Sam explore how restaurant employees and leaders can develop skills that may not currently exist within their organizations. Sam believes individual initiative plays an important role.

Employees today have access to an enormous library of educational resources through YouTube, podcasts, books, newsletters, social platforms, and other digital channels. Rather than waiting for an employer to provide every skill, aspiring leaders can identify knowledgeable people inside and outside their industries and learn directly from their content.

AI can provide quick answers, but Sam argues that meaningful professional development still requires investing time in deeper learning. Watching a detailed tutorial, reading a strong book, or following knowledgeable thought leaders can help employees develop skills that differentiate them professionally and prepare them for future opportunities.

11:55–14:10 | Today’s Employees Want to Understand the “Why”

The restaurant workforce has changed considerably over Sam’s career. He contrasts his own generation’s experience of being given instructions and simply completing them with younger employees who are more likely to ask why something needs to be done.

Rather than viewing that as a problem, restaurant leaders can adapt. Employees may become more engaged when leaders explain the reasoning behind procedures and invite them into appropriate parts of the conversation.

Training can also be delivered through the devices and formats younger employees already understand. Combining accessible digital content with explanations of why procedures matter can help bridge generational and communication gaps.

14:10–15:59 | Developing Soft Skills for the Next Generation

The interview concludes by examining how restaurant training has expanded beyond traditional operational skills. Some young employees entering their first jobs have had limited experience interacting directly with unfamiliar people, making activities such as eye contact, taking orders, handling difficult guest interactions, or accepting cash unfamiliar.

Sam explains that restaurants may need to intentionally teach skills previous generations were expected to already understand. The lesson for operators is to continually look ahead at the workforce entering their restaurants and adapt training accordingly.

Technology and AI will continue changing how restaurant employees learn and work, but the objective remains human: develop confident people who can communicate, solve problems, and deliver genuine hospitality.