Scaling Restaurant Employee Training and Career Growth: Behind the Scenes with Biscuitville

Biscuitville, a beloved breakfast favorite in the quick-service restaurant industry, is more than just a haven for comfort food—it’s a shining example of how thoughtful Learning and Development (L&D) strategies can empower employees and elevate an organization.

For L&D professionals, Biscuitville’s approach to learning and talent development presents a valuable recipe for success. The regional restaurant chain strikes an exceptional balance between juggling the demands of its competitive industry and providing skill and career development opportunities that nurture talent from within. From ensuring operational efficiency to encouraging employee growth, continue reading below to explore some of the best insights on effectively scaling learning and development from the Biscuitville L&D team.

To hear the entire conversation, check out episode 23 of They Learn, You Win on your favorite podcast streaming app.

Episode Highlights

[00:01:20] Before we dig in, can you introduce yourselves and your roles at Biscuitville?

Aku Patel: Absolutely. I’m Aku Patel, the Senior Director of Training and Development and Operations Services at Biscuitville. I’ve been with the company for five years now. I initially started in operations and eventually found my way into restaurant operations training. 

Kailey Skinner: I’m Kailey Skinner, the Instructional Designer at Biscuitville. I handle all content creation for training. I’ve been with the company for about three years, transitioning from teaching high school to instructional design. It’s been an interesting and rewarding shift! 

[00:02:23] For those who might not be familiar with Biscuitville, could you please share a bit about what sets you apart?

Kailey Skinner: Of course! Biscuitville is a regional quick-service restaurant with 85 locations across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, primarily focusing on breakfast. We’re open from 5:30 AM to 2 PM daily, and what sets us apart is our commitment to fresh, local ingredients. Nothing is pre-made; it’s all real food made quickly with care. 

[00:03:17] Restaurant training and development presents unique challenges. What makes training in a quick-service restaurant environment so distinct?

Kailey Skinner: The most challenging aspect is the compressed timeframe. We close at 2 PM, and during our 8-hour operational window, there’s very little room to run formal training sessions. We have to be incredibly creative and agile in training employees while maintaining productivity. 

David Wentworth: And it’s even harder to train when employees are often on their feet, engaged in fast-paced tasks. How do you adapt training programs to fit that dynamic? 

Kailey Skinner: Right now, most of our training happens through phones or store tablets. Every location has three tablets that team members can use for training. Interestingly, many employees prefer their phones because they’re accustomed to them, which simplifies the process with single sign-on and ease of access. 

Aku Patel: We also focus heavily on our resource library, which is housed in Schoox. It’s extensive, with thousands of resources that team members can access whenever needed. For instance, all recipes and reference materials are accessible through tablets, eliminating the need for bulky printed manuals. 

[00:04:48] Can you share a recent project or initiative you’re proud of?

Kailey Skinner: We recently rolled out monthly training topics on food quality and safety. Each month, we spotlight one food topic and one safety topic. For instance, we track slip-and-fall accidents, as well as customer satisfaction metrics, to evaluate the impact of these sessions. It’s a way to elevate training from just checking boxes to actively improving business outcomes. 

David Wentworth: And speaking of business outcomes, how do you measure the success of your training initiatives? 

Kailey Skinner: Beyond completion metrics, we dig deeper into business metrics like customer satisfaction scores, food quality data, and safety incidents. If training positively impacts these figures, we count that as success. 

[00:09:39] How does having an operational background influence Biscuitville’s L&D strategies?

Aku Patel: It makes a big difference. Coming from operations, I know the day-to-day challenges employees face. Everyone on our L&D team has an operations background, which fosters a unique unity. Plus, training at Biscuitville falls under the culinary department rather than HR, which keeps us grounded in the reality of restaurant operations. 

[00:12:03] Career growth is another piece of the puzzle for retention. How do you approach talent development within Biscuitville?

Kailey Skinner: We introduce career pathways as early as day one! Our welcome video highlights opportunities for growth and emphasizes our 70/30 goal—70% of promotions coming from within. We also provide real-life success stories from team members who climbed the ranks. 

Aku Patel: Another major initiative we have is our New Unit Growth Team. When opening new restaurants, we bring in existing team members and managers as trainers. This not only helps them grow professionally but has already led to seven trainers being promoted to operators. 

[00:14:03] Does this focus on career growth help with staff retention?

Kailey Skinner: Absolutely. Some operators have been with us for 40 years. While hourly team turnover is naturally higher, operator turnover is remarkably low at under 30%. 

Aku Patel: We also have a rigorous 8-week training program for managers, followed by a review board they must pass before running a restaurant. It ensures they succeed from the start, eliminating gaps that could lead to unnecessary turnover. 

[00:16:21] How do you maintain consistency across locations despite the challenges of standardization?

Kailey Skinner: We only certify specific stores as training locations, and they go through a rigorous three-day certification process annually. This ensures they adhere to our training standards. Area managers are also heavily involved, overseeing trainee progress and maintaining consistency across locations. 

[00:18:27] What’s next for your L&D team? Any final thoughts?

Kailey Skinner: We’re expanding training to our distribution center and facilities teams. Our goal is to replicate the field training success across all departments, ensuring consistent development company-wide. 

Aku Patel: Ultimately, our phased approach will culminate in implementing training at the Restaurant Support Center. Learning and development are deeply intertwined. We focus on both equally to prepare our people not just for the job they have, but also for the careers they aspire to have. It’s all about creating pathways to success. 

David Wentworth: Thank you both for this fascinating conversation. It’s inspiring to see what you’re accomplishing at Biscuitville, and I can’t wait to watch your continued growth. It’s clear you’re dedicated to connecting learning with business development, and it’s refreshing to see this level of dedication. You’re setting an excellent example in an industry many might underestimate.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and flow.