THE STAFF THAT STAYS
Retention is the quiet crisis behind the labor headlines.
According to the National Restaurant Association Workforce Trends Report, 2025, nearly 70% of hourly employees who leave restaurants don’t leave for more money—they leave because they feel stuck, unseen, or burned out.
The problem isn’t just hiring. It’s what happens after. Our July Newsletter reminded us why hospitality matters. This month it’s about the people who deliver it, day after day. The ones resetting the patio before open… Keeping the vibe up on a slammed Friday… Training the new host mid-service.
If you’ve said, “It’s hard to find good people,” you’re not wrong. But odds are, those diamonds in the rough are already on your team. The question is: what cultural habits are in place to identify, reward, and ultimately keep them?
TRAINING ISN’T A SYSTEM. IT’S THE DNA OF YOUR CULTURE.
Culture is more about what happens when no one’s watching, then it is about your mission statement or a long-winded pre-shift meeting. It’s about…
When the closer sets up the opener
When your servers proactively seat tables for the host who just got hit with 3 parties that showed up early for their reservations
When the GM steps in on service bar when the bar’s backed up
When someone runs food that isn’t to their table (and the Chef/expo never had to ask)
That’s not “above and beyond.” That’s the baseline when culture is real.
What we see working right now:
Clearly defined roles that reduce friction
Shift leads who actually lead
Staff meetings that reinforce priorities and expectations
Aligning individual reward with team rewards
And most importantly: Leadership development that starts before someone leaves.
At Campsite Brewing Co., we recruited a Chef who knew how to lead, not just schedule. Within weeks, they restructured the BOH team, built trust with the front of house, refined ordering systems, and taught everyone in the kitchen how to be a part of the system that still paid individual dividends. Staff stuck around. Morale lifted. Product quality leveled up, without adding a single new hire.
Great teams embed training into daily flow, through shadowing shifts, post-shift debriefs, and the kind of coaching that turns teammates into future leaders.
Training isn’t just onboarding. It’s infrastructure.
THE NEW SCHOOL SYSTEMS BEHIND THE SCENES
We don’t just help you train a team. We help you build the right one from the start.
That begins with hiring and sourcing talent that fits your pace, concept, and culture. We help define the roles you actually need, then find the people who can grow with you, not just fill a shift.
Then we create systems that support the team behind the service:
Shadow shifts that teach how things really work
Pre-shifts that reinforce brand and flow
Service language that aligns with how you want the guest to feel
SCHOOLIGAN HIGHLIGHT
Leading this work at New School is Sarah, our Director of Training and Organizational Development.
She’s run a dining room, booked countless events, and empowered teams from Meta to Nascar. She’s led people and culture strategy for a multi-concept group as well as one of LA’s leading recruiters. She brings structure to culture, strategy to hiring, and clarity to training, because that’s what builds teams that last.
THE FINAL BELL
Retention isn’t luck. It’s leadership, systems, and intention.
This month, check in with your team, and not just with pizza at pre-shift, but with a reset on clarity, structure, and support.
Because those people who are still showing up? They’re the ones building your brand, and with it, your legacy.
Next month, we’re dropping our Q3 Book Report—spotlighting an iconic restaurant brand that proves it’s possible to scale without losing the plot.
Be Well & Eat Well,
The Schooligans
