16 Mar Flix 2.0
Mark McLaughlin, Vice President of Operations Support
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What an exciting time this is for Flix Brewhouse as we begin the transition from where we’ve been to where we’re going. And where are we going is Flix 2.0. Anticipating our rapid growth over the next several years, we have decided to fine-tune our operating focus by completely revamping our training programs, company handbook and all corporate policies at all levels and at all positions of the company. This is the essence of Flix 2.0 and it is already on its way to a Flix Brewhouse near you.
Flix’s success as an enterprise will stem directly from applying the proper focus on its number one asset – its people. This is the foundation of Flix 2.0. We have already begun to re-develop our managers’ skillsets around communication, training, culture and profitability; the four legs of the Flix 2.0 table. This will help us set a strong foundation for operational awareness and people development at all levels. Aligning the principles of LEAN Leadership with our standards for “MBWA” (Manage By Walking Around) and professional management, Flix 2.0 will establish a daily “Gold Standard” set of guidelines for consistency and repeatability.
In order to achieve this rather lofty goal, we are developing a seven-week Manager Training Program to essentially retrain all salaried managers on every aspect of our operations. Starting with basic kitchen operations, they will be exposed to food safety and sanitation, temperature logs, quality controls, basic ordering and food expo quality checks. From there they will train weekly in all hourly positions to get a firm understanding of our runner, server, bar tender and guest services positions, and all secondary responsibilities and expectations. They will conclude their final three weeks with manager on duty shifts and course work that is supported, repetitive and designed to deliver on the premium guest experience that we expect for our guests. Shifts will be detailed in their design and cover all aspects of each manager’s duties, staff coaching and guest interaction including recovery. Our managers will also have to complete course work on-line in Flix University which will help to develop their peripheral management skill set and understanding. Classes on professionalism, Lean leadership, MBWA, culture, training, communication, food and beverage operational metrics, sexual harassment and film scheduling will provide us with managers who have SKAs, or “Skills, Knowledge and Attitude” that align tightly with our business model and expectations. The Manager Development Program will provide us with the development tools and information to make our managers true professionals who inherently focus on Lean leadership, people development and achiveing superior financial results all the while wowing our Guests.
Additionally, all of our hourly team members will be trained to use The Twin Triangles of Service.
The triangles are designed to heavily emphasize service by clearly defining server and runner responsibilities and defaults that begin and end with the guest. Along with implementing the triangles comes the added benefit to the company of streamlining labor, as this sytem eliminates multiple service challenges, clearly defines positions and secondary positions and provides fall back support at all levels for our hourly team members with a strong focus on facilities and ambiance in addition to service and presentation.
Our Senior Manager of Training Lindsey Moon and I began to roll out the triangles earlier this month in our Des Moines unit and the impact was immediate. Improved planning, better developed forecasts, metrics for staff development and a premium focus on the first leg of the Flix 2.0 table – communication. In order to succeed, it will be vital for us to get each of our team members to embrace the Flix 2.0 journey and to understand that we will all need to quite literally “live” these expectations daily to see the results we desire.
Also, an important change in our hiring processes with the addition of hourly team member screening through Corvirtus will begin to deliver higher caliber employees. A defined and detailed training program that is S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relative and Time Bound), with a requirement for continued and ongoing training, will allow us to expose our guests to Flix team members who are more capable and far better trained to deliver on the company’s Gold Standard ideal.
We are truly excited to be beginning the implementation of Flix 2.0. The coming weeks and months will start to shape our teams and leaders into efficient and exceptional professionals who are collectively capable of delivering an industry-leading experience on a daily basis.
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