Train your staff effectively and affordably with online courses designed for the foodservice and event industries
By Sara Perez Webber
This month, Catering, Foodservice & Events launches CF&E Training in partnership with Foodservice Training Portal.
The catalog of 25-plus online, on-demand staff training courses for the foodservice and event industries makes it easier than ever to ensure that staff members are properly and cost-effectively trained—at a time when businesses may need it most.
Foodservice businesses are dealing with a staffing shortage,” says Leslie Bucher, director of business development for Foodservice Training Portal. “You need to make sure that the staff you do have—while they may be pulling double-time—are effectively trained and meeting all the compliance checklist items you may have, based on your jurisdiction.”
Courses offered by CF&E Training range from food safety and customer service to allergen training and bartender training. The catalog includes both crew-level and managerial training, with select courses offered in English and Spanish. Some courses can be used to satisfy certain state and corporate brand requirements, such as the sexual harassment courses and the food safety training course (see sidebars on p. 14 and p. 16 for details and a complete list of courses).
I’m excited that CFE is launching this important platform,” says Klaas De Waal, publisher of Catering, Foodservice & Events. “For the first time in history, we’re introducing something to our readers and our subscribers that goes beyond the commercial side of what we do. What I like best is that our courses will create strong cost-savings for many organizations and give smaller caterers and event planners a solution for introducing high-quality virtual training.”
CF&E Training offers six key advantages for foodservice business owners, according to Bucher:
1. It’s consistent.
The online courses ensure that all employees are receiving the same high-quality training.
2. It’s fast.
The foodservice industry is fast-paced, with a high degree of turnover. Instead of waiting for a complete class of new employees to train, CF&E Training enables you to train staff members as they come on board.
3. It’s on demand.
Since courses are accessed online, employees can complete their training when and where it’s most convenient. “All of our training is HTML5 compatible, so employees can take courses on a laptop at the restaurant, at home on their iPad, or from their iPhone—if there’s a Wi-Fi or Internet connection, they’re ready to go,” says Bucher. Employees can also take the courses at their own pace—an important benefit in an industry that encompasses employees with a wide range of skills.
4. It’s affordable.
Courses offered by CF&E Training cost a fraction of what businesses would pay for courses from competitors, says Bucher. “Many on our team have come from foodservice, and we know that frequently investment in a foodservice employee does not occur because it’s cost-prohibitive,” she says. “We looked at what it would take for an employer to invest in their staff. We started by creating the highest quality training we could, and then asked customers, ‘What would you pay for this?’ We provide you with a solution that gives you everything you want and need, and offer it at a price where it’s not cost-prohibitive.”
5. It’s easy to track.
CF&E Training offers a robust learning management system (LMS) that makes it easy to keep track of employees’ progress. “You can dial up the information you’re seeking, tracking progress by employee, by course, by location and by date range,” says Bucher. In addition, the system generates certificates when training courses are completed, which employees can print or screenshot. Those certificates remain in the system, to be retrieved as needed.
6. It helps fulfill mandatory compliance requirements.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the foodservice industry will be facing many upcoming new rules, says De Waal. “Already we are seeing that many states are introducing new and stronger food safety and food handling requirements that will ensure the safety of customers,” he notes. “Protecting foodservice operators from new COVID-19 outbreaks and preventing legal exposure in the future makes it an important and smart move to train your staff.”
Ideal for Independent Operators
Since launching in 2005, Foodservice Training Portal has trained more than 2 million employees working with more than 45,000 foodservice operators across the U.S.
While the size and scope of clients vary, “our sweet spot is really the independent operator, someone with between one and maybe 15 locations,” says Bucher. “It could be a franchise operator or an independent concept.”
Bucher notes that independent operators typically don’t have the budget to create their own training. “We got into this business because we felt like independent operators didn’t have a level playing field with larger foodservice companies—they didn’t have the R&D to create these courses, or the ability to invest in the technology,” she says.
While businesses can purchase CF&E Training courses a la carte, “the real value comes from bundling the options together,” says Bucher. Foodservice Success University includes 20-plus staff courses—the full catalog for crew training—for up to 100 students for $79 per month. Manager Success University includes 10-plus courses for up to 10 owners/managers for $499 per year.
The manager training suite was created in direct response to customer requests, says Bucher. “Operators are seeking ways to strengthen the skill sets of their managers,” she says. “We see that as an emerging trend in terms of course popularity.”
The company’s curriculum development team ensures that compliance courses are reflecting the latest standards. Non-compliance courses are updated annually as well, so employees who take the courses year after year are always exposed to something new.
We have a high rate of customer retention because we are delivering high-quality courses and new things consistently,” says Bucher. “There’s so much value built into what is offered to customers.”
To download the full CF&E Training Catalog and to learn more about how CF&E Training can benefit your business, visit cfetraining.com.
CF&E Training On-Demand Courses
- Restaurant Training
- Food Safety Training
- Allergen Training
- Gluten-Free Training
- Sexual Harassment Training
- Anti-Bias Training
- Food Waste & Sustainability Training
- Wine Sales & Service
- Beer & Spirits Sales & Service
- Customer Service Training
- Active Shooter Prep
- Workplace Violence
- Server Training
- Bartender Training
- Kosher Training
- Halal Training
- Unique Concept eStart (Strategies to Differentiate Your Concept)
- Integrated Marketing eStart (How to Effectively Use Low/No Cost Social Media & Paid Marketing)
- Manager eStart (Ensuring Competency and Consistency in Your Management Training)
- Best Staff eStart (Hiring the Best Staff to Power Your Operation)
How It Works
Visit cfetraining.com
1. Choose Your Perfect Course(s)
Use the ‘BUY COURSE’ buttons provided to sign up for your Training Course(s).
2. Receive Confirmation
After purchase, you will immediately receive a confirmation email and receipt.
3. Learn When You Are Comfortable
Within 1 business day, your account will be set up and ready-to-use.
It’s that simple: easy to set up and easier to use. Implement an online, turnkey, complete training solution with updates and documentation — it is everything you want and need.
Courses to Satisfy Mandatory Compliance Requirements
Basic Food Safety eStart (crew-level food safety training) is written in accordance with the 2017 FDA Food Code and its supplements. The course is approved by the Texas DSHS (Program #59) and compliant with the Illinois Food Handler Regulation Enforcement Act (Program #14-041) for crew-level food safety training. The course can also be used to satisfy the brand standard for food safety training in the Hilton, Marriott and Starwood families of brands.
Sexual Harassment eStart can be used to satisfy the non-supervisory harassment training required by California, Delaware, Illinois, Maine and New York.
Sexual Harassment eStart (Manager) can be used to satisfy the supervisory harassment training required by California and Connecticut.
