The Challenge
Restaurant teams were facing increasingly difficult situations — from anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse to violent incidents and robbery risk.
The existing training was delivered face-to-face using PowerPoint, limiting scale, consistency, and accessibility across restaurants.
A key issue was not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of confidence. Staff were hesitant to intervene early, often allowing situations to escalate unnecessarily.
This was an emotive subject, requiring a careful balance: the training needed to feel real and relevant, without overwhelming or distressing learners who may have experienced serious incidents.
The challenge was clear — how to build confidence, encourage early intervention, and safely prepare staff for high-pressure, real-world situations at scale.
Preparing teams to act early, confidently, and safely in difficult real-world situations
The Approach
The solution focused on behaviour change, combining self-awareness with realistic scenario-based practice.
Building Self-Awareness
The course began by helping learners understand conflict, reflect on personal triggers and blockers, and recognise how emotions influence decision-making in high-pressure situations.
Designing Realistic Scenarios
Branching video scenarios were introduced, placing learners in authentic situations where every decision influenced the outcome, allowing safe experimentation and learning through consequences.
Balancing Realism and Safety
Careful design ensured scenarios felt credible and relevant, while maintaining psychological safety and avoiding unnecessary distress for learners.
The Solution
A two-part learning experience was developed, combining knowledge, reflection, and immersive scenario practice.
- Transformed face-to-face PowerPoint training into a fully digital, mobile-first learning experience
- Structured learning into two phases: awareness and understanding, followed by applied scenario practice
- Embedded reflection on personal triggers and blockers, capturing unique learner insight data
- Designed branching video scenarios with multiple decision paths and outcomes
- Delivered tailored feedback based on learner decisions, reinforcing learning through consequence
- Enabled learners to retry scenarios, encouraging safe failure and continuous improvement
- Simulated real-world situations including anti-social behaviour, intoxicated customers, and robbery risk
- Used interactive storytelling tools (e.g. Twine) to design complex branching logic and realistic decision flows
- Ensured full mobile and tablet compatibility, supporting flexible access in restaurant environments
The Outcome
The course delivered measurable impact across both behaviour and business performance.
A 6.83% reduction in poor customer feedback was recorded, directly correlating with a 2% uplift in sales. This translated into an increase of approximately £15,000 to £60,000 per restaurant per year, depending on size and location.
Originally designed as a point-of-need resource, the course was rapidly adopted more widely, with large franchisees requesting it be assigned to all staff. It was subsequently embedded into induction programmes for new employees.
The approach also generated valuable insight into staff behaviour, with data on personal triggers and blockers informing future learning design and highlighting demand for further mobile-first content.
The success of the programme led to exploration of further enhancements, including gamification, expanded scenario coverage, and deeper data tracking through xAPI.
Key Highlights
6.83% Reduction (OSAT)
Drop in negative customer feedback
2% Sales Uplift
Direct correlation to improved customer experience
£15k–£60k Impact
Annual revenue increase per restaurant
Behaviour Change
Improved confidence and earlier intervention across teams
