Recipe for success

– Streamlining Work, Productivity, and Well-being in the Restaurant lndustry

The Success Recipe – Streamlining Work, Productivity, and Well-being in the Restaurant lndustry project addresses various challenges related to productivity and well-being in the restaurant sector. The project enhances the skills of workers, strengthens social sustainability, improves well-being at work, and boosts productivity in restaurant businesses, while taking into account the unique characteristics of the sector, such as digital solutions. lt focuses on the need to develop and modernize restaurant production and service processes with a socio-ethical approach. The project motivates current and future employees to pursue additional and continuous training, expand their skills, and embrace opportunities for lifelong learning.

Additionally, it improves the sector’s attractiveness, management practices, productivity, well-being at work, and continuous development as part of everyday operations.

A key premise of the project is that the restaurant industry can gain a competitive edge by simultaneously investing in employee well-being and enhancing productivity and work-life quality. By engaging staff and integrating digital solutions with hospitality-oriented interactions, the project aims to create a better working life in the restaurant industry.

The restaurant industry’s significance within the private service sector is highlighted by its associated industries, broad value chain, and network-based nature. For many, working in a restaurant is the first entry point into the labor market, and progression to managerial roles often occurs through hands-on operational experience. ln this labor-intensive sector, where manual tasks are common and all staff participate in various roles, these factors present both strengths and challenges in terms of organization, profitability, and skill development. Productivity and well-being issues can no longer be dismissed as anomalies but must be viewed as reflections of society and the ongoing transformation of working life.

The Success Recipe project has the following specific goals:

  1. lmprove the productivity and well-being of SMEs in the restaurant industry within the target regions, pilot companies, and at a national level.
  2. Strengthen the skills of entrepreneurs, managers, and employees in the restaurant industry, focusing on work efficiency, productivity, and well-being.
  3. Streamline work processes in participating companies through appropriate, ethically driven, and sector- and employee-centered technological and digital solutions aimed at improving productivity
    and well-being.
  4. Develop working methods, inclusiveness, work design, and communication in participating companies, based on ethically driven, sector-specific approaches that prioritize employees,
    productivity, and well-being.
  5. Promote employee participation and a culture of continuous learning and development at the individual, company, and community levels.
Menestysresepti-Kokki asettelee yrttejä lautaselle, jossa on pihvi kastikkeella

Work Packages

The project consists of five work packages, each coordinated by one of the five participating universities of applied sciences. TAMK serves as the project’s lead implementer. The group project combines the expertise, regional similarities, unique characteristics, and network capital of each partner to ensure national impact and dissemination of the project’s outcomes.

WP1 (TAMK): Menu and mise-en-place
Current state of restaurant businesses and a systematic roadmap for productivity and well-being.
WP2 (SeAMK): Entree
Developing work processes, well-being, and work design collaboratively.
WP3 (Haaga-Helia): Main Course
Creating and embedding a participatory organizational culture.
WP4 (LAB University of Applied Sciences): Wine Pairing
Training and video series on well- being and productivity for change agents.
WP5 (SAMK): Dessert
Disseminating project outcomes, knowledge, and expertise, including communications.

Project impact

The project strengthens the productivity and well-being competencies of workers, managers, and entrepreneurs in Finnish restaurant SMEs. ln the long term, it enhances the sector’s appeal, increases the appreciation of restaurant work, and embeds productivity and well-being initiatives into organizational culture. Restaurants will become more economically sustainable as well- being and productivity are integrated into daily operations, enabling employees to thrive and meet the sector’s evolving demands. All project results will be published and made available for use by businesses across the country, with partner universities ensuring focused dissemination through their respective networks in education, related industries, and continuous learning. Collaboration with industry advocacy organizations and other stakeholders will further support these efforts.