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Here’s how this restaurant uses work-life balance and outsourcing to ease labor strains

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

December 21, 2021

 

As the labor crisis in the restaurant industry continues, what we’re hearing from restaurant operators is that flexibility is the key to attracting and maintaining top talent. At Park City Utah-based restaurant group, Leave Room for Dessert Eateries (Heart and Hill, Hill’s Kitchen), schedule flexibility and outsourcing some back-office functions like HR and payroll have led to a lower turnover rate at their restaurants.

Owners Brooks and David Kirchheimer also know that their employees might not be around forever, especially if many are high school and college students on break, and even encourage them to start their own businesses one day.

“Flexibility is where you don't need to be there just to be there,” Brooks Kirchheimer said. “[…] If they're forced to be there for 12-hour shifts, it's not going to make them feel good. I think flexibility in understanding people's needs. For example, our chef Jordan Harvey is phenomenal at flexibility. When he's needed some of the prep team to stay an extra couple of hours, he'll pay for them to get an Uber or Lyft home because many of them don't have a transportation.”

It might sound simple, but treating employees like human beings and putting them first is key, the Kirchheimer father and son duo say, and that’s why their motto has always been to “Inspire their associates, thrill guests, and enrich the community.”

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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