Staffing

11 Restaurant Employee Appreciation Ideas

Here’s how to celebrate your team for their amazing work.

Restaurant workers are the heart of the hospitality industry. They’re the ones who keep everything running smoothly, often working with limited resources and maxed-out capacity. As an employer, it’s crucial to celebrate your team regularly. Working to make sure your staff feels seen and respected increases the overall quality of your restaurant’s culture, and it builds motivation. Here are eleven ideas for showing your restaurant employees how much they mean to you.

1. Give credit to staff who create dishes and drinks.

It seems obvious that the people who prepare the food should be mentioned, right? While this isn’t a standard practice, it’s a gesture that shows your kitchen staff that their efforts matter and their names deserve to be seen by diners.

7shifts surveyed 1500+ restaurant employees, and more than half of respondents rated “more recognition from management” as something that would increase their engagement at work.

Michelin-star vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy, located in New York City, showcases their team on the tasting menu with call-outs under certain dishes. Chef-owner Amanda Cohen talked with Eater about transparency around dish development and said, “there has been a movement to give more credit to staff over the last couple of years and I think it’s great — it takes an army to run a restaurant.”

“It’s fun to know the names of the people who make your food,” added Cohen. “It’s kind of like watching the end credits of a movie, or when you go see a Broadway show and you see everybody who’s worked on the production.”

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2. Match fundraising contributions.

Are your employees passionate about No Kid Hungry? Are they donating to Feeding America? Volunteering with World Central Kitchen? Wherever your team is sharing their money (food-related or otherwise), consider matching nonprofit donations. A dollar-for-dollar match is a generous way to bring philanthropy into your hospitality business while simultaneously supporting your staff. If there’s a cap on yearly matching (for example, $250 per employee), make sure that’s communicated and clear.

3. Host a team competition.

Nothing says team bonding like a little friendly competition. Host a trivia night, coordinate a scavenger hunt or schedule a cooking challenge.

At New York City’s Gramercy Tavern, team members compete in an annual pie baking competition for a cash prize and a coveted spot on the restaurant’s dessert menu. It’s a great employee engagement tactic and morale booster — especially heading into the busy holiday season, when extra joy is particularly welcome.

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4. Celebrate employee milestones.

Work anniversaries, hitting professional goals and promotions are all reasons to bring out the party hats and noisemakers. When your team succeeds, your restaurant succeeds. Recognizing milestones shows employees that you’re paying attention, and honoring the occasions builds trust and respect. Bonus points if there's a thoughtful gift involved to mark the occasion, like apparel from Tilit.

5. Offer professional development classes or stipends.

Providing career-based rewards benefits both the employee and the employer. You can coordinate on-site opportunities for a cost-effective option like wine tastings, photography sessions and management shadowing. Or, if there’s room in your budget, present a stipend for use on leadership training, online classes and specialized certifications. Investing in professional development shows a worker that their employer is invested in them and their career.

6. Make mental health care more accessible.

In the last few years, there’s been increasing acknowledgement of the need for mental health care within the restaurant industry. Coverage in publications like Bon Appétit and Eater have become more common, and restaurant owners are speaking out.

In 2021, Bonanno Concepts gained national attention for hiring a wellness director to support their 10 restaurants in Colorado. One-on-one counseling, group mindfulness sessions and yoga stretching has been offered to the nearly 400 employees of the hospitality group.

Help prevent burnout among your own team with free counseling appointments (available in many states through nonprofit Southern Smoke), meditation sessions or group memberships to apps like Calm.

7. Feature team members on social media.

Give your employees some time in the limelight by sharing their stories on your social media channels. Union Square Hospitality Group highlights team members on their Instagram account with a photo, brief bio, quote and thank you message. These types of posts are popular among their followers and gives diners an insider feeling of knowing more about the people behind the scenes.

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8. Create a shout-out board.

Using a corkboard and Post-it notes, it’s easy to bring this idea to life. Employees can write down shout-outs to each other for a job well done. Did someone receive a great review? Did a team member go above and beyond to help? Call it out and celebrate it.

Shout-outs for achievements outside of work are important too. Being one year sober, becoming a citizen, passing a driver’s license test or getting engaged are some of the many personal accomplishments you could honor. It’s a reminder that your employees have personal lives beyond their shifts, and an encouragement for them to bring their full selves to work.

9. Cover the cost of one rideshare per month.

Treating your team to a free monthly ride makes their day slightly easier, whether they’re using it to head in for an early shift or get home after closing. This transportation perk costs about the same as a staff pizza party, but it’s a much more valuable sign of appreciation.

10. Provide a paid floating holiday.

In addition to regular time off benefits, offer an extra floating holiday each year. Does someone want to skip work on their birthday? Another person wants a spa day on a random Tuesday? Whatever they decide to do, your employees will have the choice to take a yearly day off all to themselves — no questions asked.

11. Set up a mentoring program.

Pair your senior-level staff with junior-level staff for an in-house mentoring program. Not only does this create collaboration within your team, but it’s an easy way to facilitate both knowledge transfer and innovation. Connecting employees with other industry contacts who work outside of your restaurant is also a good mentorship choice.

Additionally, inviting your employees to be part of the decision making process when planning a holiday event or making operational changes makes them feel like a true part of the business.