You could offer a free day where the employee gets to choose a manager to work his shift. Also set up a system of long-term incentives. Some restaurants give tokens or points that add up to larger rewards. Get Creative Traditional benefits don't matter much to most teens and young adults. While 74 percent of Chain Leader's respondents said benefits are very important, the focus groups revealed young people are more interested in paid vacations than health and dental insurance.
Vacation days can accrue with hours worked.
But remember that teens are a very diverse group. Some are on their own and need the same perks as their older co-workers. Share good employees with other units. If a kid works summers at one Taco Bell through high school, set him or her up with the Taco Bell franchisee near the university. Let the staffer keep his or her pay rate and seniority, and offer a job for summers at home.