One of most pressing challenges facing the restaurant industry—finding and keeping high-performing employees—is being turned on its head by adding measurement, insight, and impact to the hiring process, according to a series of case studies released today by OutMatch, a leader in helping organizations match the right people with the right jobs.
By using assessments to identify applicants that perform better and stay longer, and then measuring the effectiveness and impact of those hires, OutMatch helped to generate a collective return on investment of more than $40 million for a pair of leading restaurant chains: Chili’s Grill & Bar, which operates 1,600 locations worldwide, and American Blue Ribbon Holdings, which has over 640 locations nationwide. OutMatch supports over 40,000 restaurant locations and processes nearly six million restaurant assessments per year.
“Employing top talent is essential to maximizing the customer experience and enabling profitability in the highly competitive restaurant industry,” says Greg Moran, CEO of OutMatch. “Applying measurement, insight and impact to the hiring process enables restaurants to match candidates with the qualities needed for success, ensuring the right people are in the right roles, and will stay there.”
OutMatch determines the work-related personality traits that best predict success and longevity for roles ranging from hourly and servers to management positions. Candidates are assessed against the job success profile and given a job fit score, along with a personality report and an interview guide to help hiring managers address potential problem areas. And, with an industry-first SaaS+ model, OutMatch blends technology, support, and expert service to enable rapid implementation and drive immediate savings.
The results, as demonstrated in the case studies, are significant. Chili's saved $21 million annually by reducing turnover up to 30 percent below the industry average, and generated $13.5 million in increased revenue by hiring servers who scored highly in guest focus and sales ability. Meanwhile, American Blue Ribbon Holdings saved $3.2 million by reducing turnover at its locations in 43 states, including O’Charley’s, Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub, Village Inn, and Bakers Square, and generated a $5.2 million return on investment at O’Charley’s through improved selection of its largest employee base: front and back of the house.
“We’re investing in our people, and we’re seeing the results—we’re a strong same-store sales company, and a lot of it is because of our people,” adds Bill Streitberger, chief people officer at American Blue Ribbon Holdings. “We’ve been doing a much better job selecting people, and OutMatch has been a great partner in that. We’re able to get results faster than we would if we were trying to do this on our own.”
Whether hiring new talent or promoting from within, OutMatch adds a new level of confidence and clarity to the selection process that enables businesses to make the best decisions about job fit. With clear, measurable insight into candidates and new hires, managers make better hiring decisions, and organizations are finally able to measure the impact of hiring on the company.
OutMatch’s clients are primarily large, decentralized organizations with high-volume hiring needs in hospitality, restaurant, retail, and large sales teams. Its worldwide client list includes recognized names in the restaurant industry such as American Blue Ribbon Holdings, Bloomin’ Brands, Brinker International, Cracker Barrel, Dine Equity, Front Burner Restaurant Group, T.G.I. Friday’s, and many more.
