MANAGER’S TRAINING PROGRAM
Equipping Coaches to Lead Others to Extraordinary Food and Service
VISION
Our company vision is accomplished through the efforts of great people – people who possess an unwavering resolve to produce the highest quality food possible at a level of service that exceeds all others.
J. Alexander’s leaders are hospitable, intense and professional. An attention to the minutiae is a must as the smallest detail is a building block for seamless service and impeccable food. Our uncompromising standards keep us improving and growing.
Those who lead in the restaurant industry must also possess a sense of sincerity. This characteristic is a defining attribute of a “guest service” leader.
The vision of J. Alexander’s is to be the best high-quality service and food provider in our segment of the industry. We do not take any shortcuts in product preparation. Providing our guests outstanding professional service, quality food and great value is our objective. Every organization must have a reason to exist and be successful in the marketplace. This objective is our reason.
COACHING
We’ve replaced the concept of “manager” with “coach” in our restaurants. This philosophy was adopted the first day of our first restaurant.
The culture of coaching has made J. Alexander’s strong and developmentally focused. As a coach never accepts a plateau performance from a player, neither does the J. Alexander’s leader from front-line employees. Our culinary and service employees (champions) deliver on the front-line. The development of our employees is a first priority at all times. The execution of the company vision will happen consistently when employees are trained, equipped and believe in the vision.
Great coaches thrive on building the team. As it has been said of leadership, “The higher you go up, the more reliant you are upon others.” J. Alexander’s coaches understand that a stellar food and service organization must be a true training and development organization. This is what we are.
Our leaders must also be chef-driven since the restaurants employ skilled culinary teams trained to execute from-scratch products in high volume. This does not mean that everyone joining J. Alexander’s must have prior kitchen management experience, but it does imply that anyone joining the company must possess a sincere interest in learning culinary operations. This applies to all coaches – front and back of house.
We are committed to serving the finest American cuisine. No compromise.
TRAINING
A coach’s development begins during the nineteen-week training program. Two prerequisites for leading others are the complete knowledge of what you are doing and a sense of what is important. The Coach-in-Training Program (CIT) has been designed to accomplish these goals. We know what is important – food, service and ambiance. Our minimum performance expectation is to exceed all other casual restaurants in each category.
The training program is a nineteen-week “hands on” education that will be composed of five major segments:
| Service Training |
Hosti, Pubkeep, Server |
| Culinary Training |
All Prep Positions, All Line Positions |
| Administrative Training |
Administrative Assistant |
| Quality Coordinating & Floor Leadership |
Quality Coordinator, Floor Coach |
A new coach is trained in every position in the restaurant.
The rotational training begins at the front door and moves through each service position. After completing the service training, the CIT enters the kitchen on Week Six and begins his/her training by focusing on the fundamentals of product preparation and recipe execution. The CIT will train in every position in the kitchen with the culmination of all that has been learned during Week Fifteen.
As acting Executive Chef during Week Fifteen, everything from prep lists to product ordering is the responsibility of the CIT.
The final four weeks finish strong with administrative training, shift-to-shift management and an intense focus on food quality and service leadership. Our training is tough, fast-paced, quality driven, and very structured. But even more gratifying is the completion of the program. After Week 19 is completed, the training coach will be equipped to begin a career of committing to “quality” every day in every aspect of the restaurant.
Our training is designed to equip our coaches to lead others to extraordinary food and service. This is what we do at J. Alexander’s. We deliver more than the ordinary – service that is sincere, timely and professional combined with incredible menu items made from scratch.
LEADERSHIP INTEREST
Once again, the vision of J. Alexander’s is simply to be the best high-quality service and food provider in our segment of the industry. We do not take any shortcuts in product preparation. Providing our guests outstanding professional service, quality food and great value is our objective.
More than just a set of words, this objective reflects what we are truly passionate about at J. Alexander’s.
If these ideals and values match your food and service aspirations, please submit your resume to recruiting@jalexanders.com or fax to (615) 269-1999. If you prefer to submit by mail, please send your resume to:
J. Alexander’s Corporation
Attn: Recruiting Department
3401 West End Avenue
Suite 260
Nashville, TN 37203
