Are you struggling as to how you can tell your employees they had just committed a huge error?
I’m here to help. I learnt this trick in Australia, called the “feedback sandwich” where the top bun is positive, the sandwich filling in between is negative, and the bottom bun is also positive.
When talking to our staff/crew, it’s always good to acknowledge first something positive they may have done. And so you see how important it is to have more positives than there are negatives.
Sample scenario: Inday Mirasol committed an error during preparation of the food because she forgot to put whipped cream on the frappe as garnish.
Anyone’s normal reaction: “Pagka animal ba! How many times have I taught you how to do it? And you still don’t get it?!”
Feedback sandwich method: “Inday, you blended the frappe well. But it seems you forgot to garnish it with whipped cream. Haven’t we tackled that process before? Maybe there’s still something that confuses you? Next time, let’s just follow the exact procedure as it’s part of our standard operating procedure. Overall, you did it in less time! But had you topped it with whipped cream, your creation would have almost hit perfection!”
Positive top bun: “Inday, you blended the frappe well.”
Negative filling: “But it seems you forgot to garnish it with whipped cream. Haven’t we tackled that process before?”
Positive bottom bun (injected with some humor): “Maybe there’s still something that confuses you? Next time, let’s just follow the exact procedure as it’s part of our standard operating procedure. Overall, you did it in less time! But had you topped it with whipped cream, your creation would have almost hit perfection!”
Our chefs in Australia used to give us ‘feedback sandwich’ all the time, which was actually assuring, and made us feel at ease in their kitchen, instead of tiptoeing on broken glass.
I myself have tried implementing the ‘feedback sandwich’ in my kitchen, and when done with mindfulness, has proven to be effective.
To be honest, I used to blurt out the “normal reaction” in my kitchen, and it simply gets worse throughout the day, and becomes toxic until you call it a night.
Then it came to a point when I just put myself in the shoes of my crew, and think what they must be feeling at that moment: Would I really want to receive feedback the harsh way? Or the sandwich way? Which method will be a learning moment for me?
Anyone craving for sandwiches by now? The legit sandwiches here in Dumaguete are at Apas Diner & Deli by Hitik. (I understand they are moving their store to an online platform this month.) Their sandwiches are expensive, yes, but they are worth it! Check them out online on Facebook.
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Author’s email: samuellebawasanta@gmail.com
