My Early Revelation
My passion for overcoming language barriers didn’t start with fancy corporate initiatives. It began when I was just 15 years old, working at a small restaurant where I met Guillermo, a mid-30s Hispanic man who spoke no English. Our entire restaurant staff collectively spoke maybe two words of Spanish, and it was honestly disrespectful how little effort we made initially.
But Guillermo and I found ourselves with time during slow periods, sitting at the bar, drawing pictures and asking “how do you say this?” We developed a sound-based conversation system that actually worked. When management offered me $500 to learn Spanish (over $1,000 in today’s money), I jumped at the chance. I bought a four CD-ROM set and studied relentlessly.
What happened next changed my perspective forever. Once we could communicate, Guillermo got promoted from his initial position to prep cook, then to fry cook, then grill, and eventually became an assistant manager. It clearly wasn’t a skill issue – it was an access issue. Guillermo didn’t have access to the language the company needed to use his full potential, and once that barrier was removed, he could support his growth and his family in a completely different way.
Beyond Spanish: The Bonchon Challenge
Years later at Bonchon, I discovered that language barriers extend far beyond the traditional “Spanish in the back of house” assumption. We’re a Korean company, the global leader in Korean fried chicken, and our challenges were multifaceted. Many of our franchise owners are also non-native English speakers who, while fluent in conversation, don’t necessarily internalize complex training materials in English.
Often, franchise owners speak one language, their kitchen staff speaks another, and neither language is English. Who has the budget, time, or skill set to translate between multiple languages? And honestly, (until recently) most translation software is terrible. Google Translate will sometimes translate “pan” to “sheet pan” and sometimes to “fry pan,” and if you don’t speak the native language, you can’t catch these errors in your training materials.
Rethinking Training Constraints
We realized that language was just one barrier among many. We also face literacy barriers, as some team members can’t read in any language. Then, there’s the time constraint. Have you seen some of the training binders we used to put out? Imagine trying to reference a thick manual while working over a fryer. And there’s the environment itself; trying to read paragraphs while people are yelling in different languages, in a space where everything is sharp, slippery, hot, or on fire, surrounded by people with knives who might be having a bad day!
So, we decided to flip the script entirely. What if we bypassed all these constraints?
The Icon Revolution
Our first instinct was pictures, but we quickly realized that if a picture is worth a thousand words – in a kitchen, that’s about 998 too many. Instead, we developed a system of specific icons with agreed-upon meanings.
For example, our “wash hands” icon doesn’t just mean rinse your hands. When we train on this icon, everyone learns it means hot water, specific soap, at least 20 seconds, single-use paper towels; the complete process. Our glove icon means you wash your hands first, then put on gloves. Our cut-glove icon represents the entire sequence: wash hands, don new glove, put on cut-glove.
This approach is borrowed from how teenagers communicate with emojis. They have full conversations with images because they’ve agreed on what those images mean. Why couldn’t we apply the same logic to restaurants?
Moving Beyond Static: Video Without Words
From static icons, we moved to videos, but not traditional training videos. We challenged ourselves to create equipment cleaning videos using no words except the title. Yes, they were rough – made by real people with real jobs and no video experience – but they worked.
What we discovered was that our franchise operators didn’t hear “this could be better.” They heard “they understand what I need.” The effort mattered more than perfection.
The Color-Coded Solution
We also revamped our entire smallwares system. Korean recipes use grams, but most American kitchen staff don’t think in grams. Instead of expecting everyone to learn metric measurements, we color-coded everything. I don’t care if you know the difference between a gram and a tablespoon – I care that you use the yellow scoop for the yellow ingredient. That’s a form of translation too.
Technology as a Tool, not a Crutch
When we moved to Opus Training, a Learning Management System (LMS) with restaurant-specific translation capabilities, we maintained our philosophy of options. Our training videos have no sound – controversial, I know – because studies show that when you’re listening and watching simultaneously, your brain doesn’t always sync up. Plus, in a kitchen environment, can you even hear audio clearly?
Instead, we provide translated text that appears below the video, so team members can watch the action while reading instructions in their native language. Everything on the recipe translates in the system, and our printed materials match exactly.
The Results Speak Volumes
In our LMS, we have about 2,000 users, and 25% learn in a language other than English. That’s 500 people who voluntarily log in and access training. These are people we wouldn’t reach if we didn’t meet them where they are.
Even more interesting: 34% of our users access content in multiple languages, and more than half actually switch between languages during their learning. This tells us they’re using our system to improve their English skills while mastering their job responsibilities.
The Cultural Impact
But here’s what I’ve learned is most important: before we saw improvements in adherence to limited-time offers, guest sentiment scores, health inspection scores, or line-check compliance, we saw something else. When people realized we were making an effort to include them, when they felt welcomed and respected, everything else improved.
People want to be included. When they’re included, they have a voice. When they have a voice, they’re more invested in the systems and standards we’re trying to maintain.
My Challenge to You
Don’t get stuck trying to make training perfect. Don’t worry about making it beautiful – yet. Training’s first job is to exist. Make it exist first, then make it better.
The biggest barrier I face isn’t technology or budget; it’s getting older managers to meet their teams where they are, because they learned differently. We’ve found success having our youngest team members train up on how to use the tools, while managers train down on the content and systems.
Remember Guillermo. He wasn’t lacking skills or work ethic. He just needed access. When we provide that access – whether through icons, videos, color-coding, or translation technology, we unlock potential that was always there. And in the process, we build the kind of inclusive culture that makes everyone perform better.
The effort to include people, even imperfectly, creates trust. And trust, more than any training material, drives real results.
This article was inspired by my breakout session at the February 2026 Workforce Management in Fast Casual & QSR Summit.
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