Congratulations to the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery training team on their recent rollout of the DiscoverLink Talent learning management system (LMS) and DiscoverLink Content Library courses to 130 corporate and franchise locations. Founded in 1958, Perkins is a leader in the family restaurant segment with more than 300 restaurants in 32 states and Canada.

During the rollout of the LMS, the Perkins team had the opportunity to train local staff on the new program as it was being implemented, a process that helped ensure strong adoption. As part of the implementation, the DiscoverLink team integrated data from Perkins’ human resource information system to facilitate automatic assignment of content to new employees based on their skill position. There are now 5,200 active employees on the LMS with more expected in the coming months.

“Helping new team members and managers achieve competence and confidence quickly in their jobs is a top priority at Perkins and one which ultimately benefits our Guests,” said Donna Herbel, Vice President of Training and Culture Development for Perkins. “The implementation of the DiscoverLink Talent LMS is an exciting step in our continuing commitment to our people and the Perkins brand.”

The initial rollout represented the first of a four-phase transition to e-learning:

• Phase 1 – Basic Hourly Training – menu training, checklist and exams
• Phase 2 – Management Training – checklists and quizzes
• Phase 3 – Additional Hourly Training Content – all online
• Phase 4 – Management Training – all online

Perkins first focused on hourly content and limited time offers (LTOs), and is now working on manager content, with a goal to complete all phases by year-end. Perkins licensed 10 courses from the DiscoverLink Content Library to augment their own e-learning courses, including a selection of OSHA Compliance, Manager Development and Hospitality courses.

One innovative solution used in the Perkins implementation is the use of keyword terms in the description field for documents stored in the Resources area. By populating terms relevant to the content of the document, they act as “tags” that can be searched to help learners find information they need more quickly.

“What impresses me most about this implementation is the professionalism of the Perkins training team,” said Mike Andrews, Account Manager for DiscoverLink. “They are incredibly organized, collaborative, cooperative and communicative – key factors which contribute to a smooth rollout.”