onboarding #90-day #review

The 90-day review is the first formal performance review. 45 minutes. MOD + staff member.

Purpose

90 days post-release is the standard "probationary" boundary in hospitality. This is the conversation where the role becomes truly permanent, and the trajectory for the next 12 months gets set.

Pre-review

MOD reviews:

• All check-in notes (Day 7, Day 14, Day 30)
• Comp log
• Coaching log (final entries)
• Peer feedback (informal solicitation from 2-3 peers)
• Guest feedback (any reviews mentioning the staff member, any complaints, any soigné notes praising them)
• Schedule reliability (no-shows, late arrivals)

Conversation outline

1. Open: "90 days. How are you feeling about the role and Lancey?"

2. Strengths review: Specific examples. What this staff member is now known for.

3. Growth review: What's improved since Day 30. What's still on the growth edge.

4. Trajectory: What does the staff member want from the next 6-12 months? Lead bartender? Head server? Floor coach for new hires? Bar director track? Sommelier track? Management track?

5. Compensation: First formal raise conversation (typically a 3-7% bump at 90 days for a successfully integrated full-status staff member; subject to current Lancey compensation policy).

6. Commitment confirmation: Lancey is committing to this staff member long-term. The staff member confirms their commitment to Lancey.

Outcomes

• Confirmed and on trajectory: Standard outcome. Next formal review at 6-month mark, then annually.
• Confirmed with growth plan: Documented plan with 6-month milestones.
• Mutual exit: Rare at 90 days, but sometimes the role isn't fitting. Handled with grace and transition planning.

Documentation

MOD writes a formal 90-day review note in the personnel file. Both parties sign.

What this is

• A real performance review
• A compensation moment
• A trajectory-setting conversation

What this signals to the team

90 days is when the staff member becomes "one of us" in the team's mental model. Lancey marks the moment intentionally — often with a small acknowledgment at the next monthly all-hands (monthly all-hands).