Joey Restaurant Group is using an internal educational program to teach employees the soft skills of leadership and assist in their career development.
By focusing on two specialized streams — hospitality and culinary arts, and leadership and business management — the company has been able to identify talent at early stages and offer tailored, accelerated courses to enhance employees’ skills and prepare them for leadership roles and career advancement, notes Andrew Martin, vice-president of people and culture at Joey Restaurants.
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“Joey’s is in the restaurant business, but we’re actually in the people development business as well. We look at retention as a very important aspect in the restaurant business and business in general. The most important strategy around retention is making sure [employees] feel fulfilled and satisfied. And you get feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction through growing, learning and developing. It’s great for employees, but it’s also great business practice.”
Training takes place at the brick-and-mortar campus in Vancouver as well as online, and employees are paid for their time. The program involves time in the classroom followed by day-to-day apprenticing in the restaurants.
The company also offers coaching in conjunction with the program to help mentor younger employees. “We have a curriculum that’s tailored to where employees are as individuals [and] in their development,” says Martin. “Our learning environment is such that as a young leader, people are given so much early opportunity to grow and refine their skills, with someone to help them through all those difficult conversations and scenarios.”
In the last year, more than 500 employees engaged in Joey’s leadership curriculum. In 2024, there have been 24 internal promotions to senior positions such as general manager and head sous chef.
“As a result of all the training we do, we don’t bring in many leaders from outside the organization,” adds Martin. “When we bring people in, whether it’s their first job or they’re 15 to 20 years into their career, we develop their leadership skills so they can get promoted and continue to thrive with us.”
When implementing career development initiatives, he notes employers need to ask themselves what they truly hope to achieve with these programs. “Are they [a priority or] are they an afterthought? Because if they’re an afterthought, don’t bother. But if you can really connect your investment in employees and their development with long-term success, then [it’s worth it]. It’s about understanding how employee development programs will help support and drive your business.”
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