Article: English-speaking managers learn to use Spanish in workplace

By Dina Berta

COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 27) - Tim Klunk, general manager of a Champps Americana restaurant here, studied Latin and Greek in school, but it was Spanish that he learned on his feet while supervising a predominately Hispanic kitchen staff.

Given the challenge of communicating in an industry where nearly half of the 2.5 million Hispanic restaurant employees do not speak English and the cost of teaching them can be prohibitive, more managers, like Klunk, are taking it upon themselves to learn Spanish. And more companies are stepping in to help them.

"Over the years I've been able to muscle through and learn some basics — greetings and salutations and certain words in Spanish," Klunk said. "And I ask a lot of questions."

Interest in learning Spanish is definitely on the rise, especially given the overwhelming response to a recent promotion for a one-day Survival Spanish Seminar, said Michelle Miller, a spokeswoman for the MultiCultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity and cultural understanding in the industry.

The MFHA also has partnered with Coca-Cola Co. in sponsoring the English-language Sed de Saber program for Spanish-speaking employees, but there seems to be equal interest in helping managers quickly learn Spanish, Miller said.

"Obviously there is a need to advance the work force by teaching English, but when managers can communicate in Spanish, it expresses that they care enough about their employees to try to want to understand their culture and language," Miller said.

The pocket-size "Gringo Lingo" phrase book is designed to teach English-speaking managers key restaurant phrases in Spanish and English.

Some chains and restaurant owners are attacking the problem of a Spanish-speaking work force by offering English-as-a-second-language classes or tutors to their Spanish-speaking employees. Some are enrolling employees in new programs, such as Retention Education's Sed de Saber program, where employees study English at their own pace at home, or by trying on-the-job English immersion programs, such as Daily Dose, which is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

But English-language programs can be time-consuming and expensive, particularly given the restaurant industry's high employee turnover rates. So an easier and less costly solution is to help restaurant managers learn Spanish, operators and industry observers said.

"We have to keep the door open and swinging, and it's not good enough to have it swing one way, but both ways," said Ed Newkirk, director of human resources for Ivar's Inc., the Seattle-based operator of more than 25 Ivar's Seafood Bar restaurants.

Newkirk recently considered ordering a couple of English-Spanish phrase books for some of the Ivar's managers to review. The book, "Gringo Lingo," is produced by the Management Consulting Group in Atlanta and features phrases and sentences that are industry specific.

About a quarter of Ivar's employees speak only Spanish, Newkirk estimated, adding that they have no formal ESL programs.

Some managers or employees are bilingual, and that helps, Newkirk said. "When you can communicate, you have an advantage; there's camaraderie and a connection, and it makes life easier."

MFHA also offers an English-Spanish, restaurant-specific phrase book in addition to a one-day Spanish language seminar for managers. Both products were produced by Workplace Languages, a Woodbury, Minn.-based firm founded by Ed Rosheim, who started out teaching Spanish to police officers and English to housekeepers in casinos.

It is no surprise that restaurant managers would prefer pocket-sized phrase books and one-day seminars, Rosheim said.

"GMs are so busy," he said. "They are always putting out some fire here or there. A lot of times, with restaurants, there is such high turnover with hourly employees, why not train someone in Spanish who has been there, five, 10, 15 years?"

Sometimes the issue comes down to numbers, said Klunk of the Champps restaurant in Columbus, where the majority of the kitchen staff is Hispanic.

"In my opinion, it's easier to change a few people than to change a lot," he said.

Tom Norr, general manager of an Old Country Buffet restaurant in Woodbury, Minn., said a quick Spanish survival course has helped him manage his Spanish-speaking employees.

"Every day I talk a little bit in Spanish," Norr said. "I have three employees who do not speak much English at all. They help me when I need the help, but for the most part I am able to get my point across. The biggest thing for me is, I think it's a sign of respect to try to speak their language."

Whether they offer English or Spanish instruction, restaurant operators need to determine how they are going to break down language barriers in their restaurants, warned Dan White, president of Hispanic Consulting Services in Raleigh, N.C. HCS interviews and surveys Hispanic workers on a variety of concerns and issues for employers.

"We have 45 million Hispanics in the United States now," White said. "Major industries like the restaurant industry are becoming 30-, 50-, 70-percent Hispanic. It's a tremendous issue at work when managers can't talk to employees."

While English-speaking managers may feel frustrated that they can't clearly direct employees on how to cook an item or change a recipe, Spanish-speaking employees may be frustrated as well that their managers cannot assist them with problems or issues that occur, White said.

"When managers and owners cannot communicate that well in Spanish to their employees, it leads to higher turnover rates," he said.

Nation's Restaurant News - June 27, 2005