As Zócalo continued to grow, there were growing pains that came along with it. Training had become hard to manage and finding updated content was a challenge for the restaurant managers. Managing a restaurant is already a huge challenge in itself, there is no playbook for restaurant managers as every day is a new day with constant setbacks that come from outside forces.
The team didn't need a binder, they needed a training platform that was fast, easy to learn and easily available to everyone at all times. So when I was asked to create this digital platform, I got to work quickly on how to execute this in time for their next batch of hires.
The first step I took in tackling this project was organizing every single piece of content and categorizing it accordingly. I worked closely with a member of the team, she had been at Zócalo from the very beginning & had the in-depth knowledge needed to bring clarity to every single training course and the education that followed it.
Working together, we organized each piece of content into 10 different courses, categorizing it from entry level to mid to manager and corporate level training. She arranged the content in Google Docs and shared it with me so that I was able to design a template for a paper/printer version, as well as the digital version - the one living on the web.
Sitting with all that content, we were finally able to get a birds eye view of everything. From this step forward, I now had clear direction on the design and the functionality of the site as well. Grouping the content pieces by training level, also meant that there needed to be content locks & permission settings in place on the platform. The platform had to be built for everyone to use, and in doing so, that meant that the manger and corporate level training needed to be reserved behind a different access level than the ones served for entry level employees.
We determined the platform need 3 core sections: Masterclasses, Articles & Six Steps.
Now that all the content was organized, I was able to focus on the creative pieces, like the design & theme of Zocalo Central. I really wanted to draw attention to the brand elements like the exotic greenery at each location, Modern Mexican art pieces imported straight from Tlaquepaque, Jalisco and of course, the wonderful staff. Zócalo has one of the strongest internal culture I've ever experienced. The team at each location works so hard to bring great quality, spectacular service and delicious food & beverages to each guest that comes in - and they do it all with a smile on their face every single time.
With the content being in a good place and the theme of the site approved. I was then able to take the core design pieces and apply them to the hub of the site. It's important to notice that I didn't design every single page, only the templates that each section of Central would need. Using Webflow as a CMS, I was able to design the site how I wanted and create the templates as CMS sections so that once we launched the site, the team could learn how to upload new recipes, cocktails and other type of content updates into Central.
Building central was a 4 month process, I was able to take this project from start to finish with the help of one other team member. Katrina was in charge of grabbing ALL of the word docs, random pdfs, sticky notes from each restaurant and rewriting it for us to upload in central. Her & I worked closely on content management, I created templates in Canva for her that fit the Zócalo Brand Style Guide so she could create training for each section of the site & also replace old outdated word docs with beautiful branded Zócalo docs.
After we ran user testing on Central to make sure that the content made sense to the team & that the password protected locks were in place, we launched central to the whole organization. First we created a keynote for the whole organization to understand why Central was so critical to each stores success and the success of each employee and guest experience. Then we had a whole separate training with the managers that would be in charge of continuing to upload content to central. For example for a new menu item, there needed to be a six steps for that so that the team knew how to make it, prep for it and plate it. Same can be said for the Bar team as crafting a cocktail followed the same steps for creating a new menu item.
Now that the project is launched and in use, the team has the speed and flexibility they needed to keep up with the intensity of working at a restaurant. I'm called upon from time to time to help troubleshoot some errors that may arise, but due to the training I provided when we launched, Central stands on it's own daily and the team has completely adapted it and has helped solve most of their problems they had before.
Figma for wireframing & design.
Canva for print templates.
Airtable for automation and a database for each employee record in Central (trainings completed, certifications, etc).
Typeform for quizzes for each course.
Zapier for automation and bridging together most of the tools.
Slack for when an employee completes a course, a manager gets a notification in their store channel to view results and congratulate the employee.
Webflow as the CMS for the platform.
Photoshop & Illustrator for the key design elements and collages.
