Tackling Operational Challenges Head-On

At 159 locations, Black Bear Diner’s managers face the same challenges affecting many rapidly growing restaurant organizations. Whether it’s onboarding new staff, maintaining consistent customer service across locations, or rapidly updating training materials to reflect new menu items or safety protocols – old school training methods often fall short. This can result in inefficiencies, miscommunication, and a lack of uniformity that can negatively impact the customer experience. 

Black Bear Diner needed to centralize their training and operational processes in a single, easy-to-use platform. For them, a user-friendly platform that didn’t feel like training was crucial to keeping their people engaged – and up-to-date.

Why Modern Tools Are Non-Negotiable

The shift towards digital training tools is more than just a trend; it’s an operational necessity. For a multi-location organization like Black Bear Diner, training must be standardized across all sites, ensuring that every employee, from the front of the house to the kitchen, delivers the same level of service. Maintaining their brand reputation as a diner with rich tradition is key. With their Wisetail site, coined “Bears in the Know”, Black Bear Diner is able to train their people from the ground up – and then reinforce that training with on-the-spot content references, ensuring their team never has to step out of line to refresh their knowledge during peak business hours.   

Transform Your Operations Today

Meeting learners where they are with a platform designed for today’s workforce can have an immediate impact on daily operations. Here are a few practical steps your organization can take right away: 

1. Centralize Your Training Materials: Start by migrating your training manuals, onboarding materials, and safety protocols to a digital platform. Quickly update and distribute content, ensuring that all employees have access to the information they need, at their time of need. 

2. Leverage Analytics for Continuous Improvement: Give restaurant managers on-the-spot access to quick at-a-glance reports on training progress and daily performance. Keep daily operations moving and identify potential areas for growth. 

3. Promote a Culture of Continuous Learning: Encourage your team to take advantage of mobile access, online or offline, allowing them to engage with training materials during critical work hours. This fosters a culture of continuous learning and development, which can lead to better job satisfaction and employee retention.  

Preparing for the Future of Restaurant Training

Through Bears in the Know, Black Bear Diner enables their teams to move quickly and adapt to ever-changing restaurant needs. Vice President of Training and Development, Camille Chavez, says it best: “We are thrilled about what this partnership brings,” Chavez says. “It’s a fantastic time at Black Bear Diner. We’re not just preserving our heritage; we’re elevating it with the best tools available.”  

With a training platform providing everything they need, when they need it – from new hire onboarding to franchise-to-franchise communications – opening new locations has become quick and efficient for Black Bear Diner. With an immersive learning experience and content references available just a tap away, they continue to remove operational barriers and increase employee engagement. 

Check out the full QSR article featuring Black Bear Diner’s discussion on training and operations here.