Small business owners in the Hospitality sector – especially restaurants – are getting squeezed. Between staffing issues, rising costs, and keeping up with changing rules, it’s easy to fall behind on the kind of paperwork that protects and supports your team and your business.

That’s where the Chefs’ Table Society led Restaurant Culture Shift program comes in. We recently chatted with Samantha Scholefield, who is doing the restaurant outreach for the project, to find out more:

What is the Restaurant Culture Shift program?

The Restaurant Culture Shift is building out a practical support system to help independent restaurants and hospitality operators access the same tools bigger companies use to stay compliant, organized and evolving — without the big price tag. CTS got funding from the BC Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills to make the project possible. Participation and provided tools are free.

What outreach has been done so far?

I’ve been out talking to restaurants one-on-one across the province to get their feedback about what policies and procedures they don’t have or need help to update to meet current standards. We’ve gotten input from 75 restaurant operators (130 locations) so far, and have built a toolkit with 20 documents currently available.

How can folks get involved?

We are looking for more folks to test our templates, give feedback, and help shape something that actually works for the realities of our industry. Folks can fill out the onboarding form HERE or reach out directly to me through [email protected].

What is the first document you think every business should have?

A Code of Conduct is the cornerstone of what employees can expect at work, summarized in one meaningful little document. Our template helps businesses outline standards for ethics, accountability, and general conduct — while also setting the tone for respectful interactions, fair treatment, and consistent expectations across the team. We made it available in Word so all you have to do is add your company information and logos. (In fact, all the tools are in this editable format for easy implementation.)

What are the top documents you recommend with high “bang for the buck”?

My top picks for documents you can implement right away without a lot of effort are:

1. Orientation Acknowledgement Form
Why? → Standardises your onboarding and saves you from repeating the same stuff over and over. Cuts down on miscommunication, protects against “I wasn’t told,” and sets the tone from day one.

2. Probationary Employee Rating Tool
Why? → Employees want to be coached and given opportunities to advance and, lots of times, these conversations seem complicated to start. This five-minute check-in tool for managers opens the door for real coaching while creating a paper trail if performance becomes an issue.

3. Health & Safety Policy Statement
Why? → WorkSafeBC and Service Canada are doing compliance checks to ensure employee safety is a priority. A clear, written policy helps reduce the risk of accidents, illness, and regulatory fines—and shows you’re serious about staff wellbeing.

4. Bullying & Harassment Policy
Why? → Toxic behaviour at work is avoidable. A clear B+H policy spells out what’s okay (and what’s not) when it comes to behaviour at work, along with a clear process for what happens if someone crosses the line.

If people are thinking about Workplace Culture, how can they get involved?

We are building a few more tools and would love feedback on what operators will use. Here are three options on deck:

Employee Personal & Emergency Contact Information Form: Do you need a consistent way to collect key personal details—including contact information, pronouns, preferred name, and emergency contacts—to ensure accurate records and support employee well-being from day one?

Employee Satisfaction Survey: Do you know what your team actually thinks about your workplace? We’re considering building a template that will help you gather honest feedback on workplace culture, communication, and overall employee experience to identify areas for improvement.

Exit Interview Template: Losing knowledge and great people has a great cost. Tell us if you need a template to capture departing employees’ feedback on their experience and reasons for leaving.

The simplest way for restaurants to get onboard is to complete this onboarding form. If finding the time for the questionnaire is a challenge, email [email protected] directly and to schedule the in-person meeting.