The Ethical Advocate team has been providing ethics hotlines to restaurants, diners, and bistros for almost 20 years. Many of these are large chains; we sometimes hear that small business owners in the restaurant sector didn’t realize just how beneficial an ethics hotline can be. There are layers upon layers of advantages for your restaurant staff, your customers, and your bottom line.

An ethics hotline is an online internet application and a phone number made available for feedback from your employees and, if you choose, the public. It serves as an anonymous channel for reporting suspicious, unethical, or witnessed behavior. With each whistleblowing report, you have an immediate opportunity to investigate and take action. And these risks are worth mitigating since one wrong violation could be devastating for your small business.

Today, we’ll share just a few of these benefits to inspire you to explore establishing an ethics hotline for your restaurant or bistro.

1. Protect Your Restaurant from Theft

When someone attempts to steal from you, they’ll likely attempt to do so when you’re not around or not watching. And while you might spend most of your waking moments at your bistro or restaurant, there are plenty of opportunities for theft to occur. Having an ethics hotline in place, however, allows you to essentially deputize anyone to call out suspected or witnessed theft. So, even if you’re not privy to it, others can help you reduce the risks of theft.

2. Improve Workplace Culture and Morale

It’s time to modernize your bistro’s company culture and atmosphere. Boost morale by prioritizing ethics among your staff, vendors, and patrons. And an ethics hotline is a great way to make a modern statement that ethics matters to you. Consider implementing an ethics hotline committing to healthy work environments. You’ll experience improved employee retention and be better positioned to attract top talent in today’s work culture.

3. Support Your Most Valuable Asset – Your Team!

Life in a restaurant or bistro can be high-energy, hectic, and incredibly fast-paced. And when you have a revolving door of people, you also open yourself up to poor behavior. An ethics hotline will help you protect your most valuable asset – your team! As your waitstaff and employees hustle to deliver the best, it’s possible that they encounter harassing patrons. And sometimes, it’s the new hire that comes with bad habits capable of disrupting your team’s workflow. But with a hotline, anyone can report encountered or witnessed instances, allowing you to take swift action, remedy the problem, and, ultimately, protect your employees.

4. Stay Ahead of Ethics Violations and Costly

You’re in the food service business, which comes with food and employee safety service regulations. An ethics hotline can be instrumental in how you track and manage your bistro’s compliance. Learn about potential violations quickly and have the chance to remedy them before they translate to costly fines and penalties.

If you’ve considered implementing an ethics hotline for your bistro or restaurant, keep these incredible benefits in mind. Each contributes directly to your bottom-line success. And our team at Ethical Advocate is ready to help you with every step of the way, from launching a hotline to managing reports and data. Take advantage of the modern solution to today’s ethics in business. Get the hotline!