Growing Strong Teams in High-Turnover Spaces

Casino dining may look effortless to guests, but behind the scenes–and even on the frontlines–it’s a fast-moving, high-pressure world that demands constant coordination. The result? A naturally high-turnover environment.

So how do you build up strong and inspired teams despite the demanding nature of the service industry? Morgan Rhule, Director of Food & Beverage at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel, seems to have the answer. Rhule shares the key ingredients he’s learned throughout his career to find the right talent, establish trust, and make team members feel seen and respected. 

Stepping Out of the Office and into the Action

Despite years in customer-facing positions, Rhule shares how leadership roles can tempt people off the floor and into their offices. Administrative work is crucial, but reports won’t truly tell the story of what’s happening on the frontlines. Leaders need to be in the kitchen, behind the bar, on the floor, seeing the action and engaging with their team.

“That's been the secret sauce over the years,” Rhule says. “Just spending more time with the team and listening to them. A lot of the great initiatives that we've done have certainly come from frontline team members.”

He even goes on to say that negative feedback has ultimately led to positive breakthroughs that noticeably impact the operation—demonstrating the value of listening to employees and giving them the space to speak up.

Hiring for Heart, Drive, and Intention 

When it comes to filling service industry roles with the right talent, Rhule looks out for three things: curiosity, integrity, and ambition.

“You see that fire of, ‘yes, I'm doing this job, yes, I'm doing well, but I want more,’” Rhule explains. Even though he seeks this type of drive force in his employees, he warns of the repercussions from pushing for too much too quickly.

“You want to make sure that you're moving [employees] at the right pace,” Rhule says. “Sometimes the worst thing you can do is promote people too quickly.”

He goes on to use the analogy of baking bread to bring this point home. Turning up the oven to bake your bread faster won’t do the trick. It’s all about striking that balance between patience, skill, and thoughtfulness to ensure your bread doesn’t burn—and your employee doesn’t burn out.

From Buy-In to Breakthroughs

So, you find the right dedicated, hard-working people for your team. How do you foster their growth and build their trust? “Communication is the key point,” Rhule says. But communication isn’t just about keeping everyone in the loop; it’s about making them part of the journey. 

“Everyone's got to understand where we're going. That can be a new menu, that can be a service evolution, or that can be an opening.”

But clarity alone won’t inspire action. That’s where buy-in comes in. “You really have to meet them halfway,” Rhule explains. “They have to get it, and they have to be bought in.”

When people know both what’s happening and why it matters, they’re more invested, more willing to adapt, and more likely to go above and beyond. That’s when the real breakthroughs happen.

The Small Gesture That Inspires

The hospitality and service industry can be grueling. Team members can feel discouraged or burnt out over time, even with good leadership and team engagement. But Rhule shares the one act that can make a good leader a great one—and it only takes you a few seconds. That is the power of a genuine thank you.

“It's worth more than money,” Rhule says. “Money will keep people around for a little bit longer, but nobody stays for money. The power of true engagement and true gratefulness is not done nearly enough.”

With the fast-paced nature of the service industry, people can easily get busy or swept up with the task directly in front of them. Rhule explains that taking just twenty seconds to acknowledge the cook on the grill or the barback on the floor can impact that employee’s whole shift. A little goes a long way, and seeing your team’s value is priceless. 

The Recipe for Retention

In a high-turnover industry, keeping great people isn’t about perks or paychecks alone—it’s about presence. Rhule’s solution is simple. Spend time with your team. Speak to them. Listen to them. See them.

When leaders do this with intention, they give their people something more powerful than a paycheck: confidence in their leaders and in themselves. That’s how you turn a group of employees into a team that shows up, stays, and thrives. Shift after shift.