When it comes to motivating and keeping staff happy in the restaurant industry, there is one thing that is a must; throw the advice of the motivational gurus out the window.  

That's right, while much of the advice offered by motivational speakers and advisors is great when it is applied to the workforce in, say, a corporate or business setting, the restaurant industry is a whole different world.

While the dynamics between management and staff is similar to what you find anywhere else, and while there is plenty of interaction between staff members themselves, the primary focus when it comes to motivating and keeping staff happy in the restaurant industry is in making them feel as if they have a vested interest in "their" restaurant's continued success and reputation.  Easy enough to say, you may think, but how do you put that into practice?

Motivating your staff is a fairly straightforward matter; it depends entirely on giving them something to be proud of.  Emphasizing the quality of your customer service and bragging up your staff to your clients will give the staff something to live up to, and will instill a sense of loyalty and pride.  This can be done in a dozen different ways.  A handful are listed below which may help you get started in the right direction.

But before you can even begin to reward or motivate your staff, you need to "understand your target market".