Employee motivation and customer service at Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse Won't Scrimp on Making Employees Happy

The objective of this work in writing is to read the case located in Chapter 10 and prepare a response to questions which are to be addressed in each section of this study.

Do Employees Who are Taken Care of Actually Take Care of Customers In the Same Manner?

For the Texas Roadhouse, taking care of its employees does in reality transfer to the employees taking good care of the customers of the organization. The Texas Roadhouse has initiatives that serve to influence the employees feelings of being taken care of and loved by the business. For example prior to each shift beginning the employees are called into a gathering in the restaurant for what is called an "alley rally" which is a motivational gathering. There are competitions such as the chance for an employee to win $20,000 for being the best meat cutter of the year and management even provides $500 in what they call 'fun money' to host events for the employees such as barbeques and other such outing. The Texas Roadhouse is nationally renowned for its motivational conference which takes place on an annual basis and includes approximately one thousand invited employees, managers as well as vendors and their spouses to attend a four-day conference which enables the company to provide rewards to the best employees and associated workers. During the recession many companies canceled their retreats however, the Texas Roadhouse met at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco for activities including team-building, work, fun and charity work. Announcing the Texas Roadhouse in town was a "25-foot inflatable armadillo outside the hotel." (Case Study, Chapter 10)

II. Alternative Methods for Motivating Employees in The Present Economic Downturn

The Texas Roadhouse has a heart and the result is that its employees have a heart for others including the customers of the establishment. Included in the annual conference is charity work and specifically the devotion of approximately one million in labor and materials to community service. For example, participants at the San Francisco conference assisted in building Habitat for Humanity homes, as well as stuffing USO care packages and service food at the local community center.

There are of course of methods that can be used to motivate employees including recognition that does not necessarily have accompanying material prizes but that holds the employees in high esteem and honors them within the organization and community. Flexibility is important in an economic downturn and flexibility breeds innovation among organizational employees. Innovation often results in new and better methods of accomplishing goals and often enables the organization to perform more optimally while cutting costs.

Electing employees of the day, of the week, and of the month which involves newspaper recognition as well as internal and external organizational recognition would be highly effectively motivating employees because the employees would enjoy the special status within their family, professional and social life due to having received this recognition. This would be very inexpensive but highly effective in motivating employees.

Summary and Conclusion

The Texas Roadhouse method of motivating its employees is clearly a very successful and effective method for employee motivation in the organization. The Texas Roadhouse understands that the best method for illustrating how customers should be treated by its employees is to provide that self-same treatment to the employees who are then in turn, enabled by the example provided to give the organization's customers the same excellent treatment. It is true that the best teacher is a good example and this is the principle which the Texas Roadhouse has adopted in its methods for motivating employees and satisfying customers.