10 Tips on How to Hire Restaurant Staff

Finding employees is one of the most difficult yet important steps in opening a new restaurant. Since having qualified and capable team members is critical for success, this guide on how to hire restaurant staff gives 10 tips on how to recruit and retain employees so you’re never in need of talent.

Determine Staffing Needs

According to SevenRooms.com, a good guideline for estimating restaurant staffing needs is one front-of-house employee (servers, hosts) for every three to five tables, along with four to seven back-of-house staff members (cooks, kitchen managers) per 50 tables. Certain types of restaurants may need even more employees. For example, if your establishment is more upscale, you may need a sommelier; if you own a steakhouse, maybe a butcher, so plan carefully.

Identify Essential Skills

After evaluating your staffing requirements, think about the skills needed for a new hire to be successful in a given role. While a server should know how to use a POS system and a chef how to prepare food, both positions also require good communication and teamwork skills, so remember to look for both hard and soft skills during interviews to identify quality candidates.

Define Job Expectations

When you’re looking to hire restaurant staff, it’s critical that you clarify duties in both the job description and interview process. If you don’t have bussers, be sure that servers know they’ll be clearing and setting tables; if your kitchen is open late, make sure that cooks realize they might be working odd hours. When employees understand what will be expected of them, you’ll reduce the risk of a mismatch that can lead to high attrition or low morale.

Explore Recruitment Channels

Although job boards and window signs can be effective, don’t be afraid to try other methods of recruiting employees. Attending job fairs or partnering with culinary schools are good ways to meet people in the industry, and posting on social media can be effective for reaching people outside of your immediate network. If your restaurant is already established, be sure to ask your current employees for referrals since these candidates are often the best.

Streamline the Process

Although nobody expects applying for a job to be a breeze, it’s still important to simplify and expedite the recruiting process as much as possible. Given the foodservice staffing shortage, you don’t want candidates to lose interest due to a lengthy application or get frustrated by an unresponsive recruiter, so plan accordingly. 

Conduct Good Interviews

Other than the application or resume, the interview is arguably your best opportunity to assess potential employees. Asking good interview questions, such as not only the standard “Tell me about yourself” but also the thought-provoking “What is your proudest moment,” are excellent tools in evaluating skill level and cultural fit.

Provide Adequate Training

One of the most important aspects of learning how to hire restaurant staff is understanding the importance of training. Restaurant employees need a variety of skills, so make sure new staff members have the resources they need to learn how to do their job effectively. From study guides to learn about menu items to role playing to teach about customer service, there are many ways to train staff members that’ll increase efficiency, improve morale and reduce turnover.

Hire Seasonal Help

Like any business, restaurants have busy and slow times of the year, so it might be a good idea to hire extra help when needed. If you know that your family restaurant is busy during the holidays or your beachside café is hopping during the summer, adding a few temporary positions can help your permanent employees avoid burnout, reducing the turnover rate.

Use Technology Productively

Incorporating technology into daily tasks is another way to improve the employee experience. Whether it’s a POS system that allows servers to place orders without having to walk to the kitchen or a website where customers can place orders without having to call, technology can make your employees’ duties easier, increasing operational efficiency, job satisfaction and staff retention.

Compensate Good Employees

With an average restaurant employee turnover rate of over 100% per year, it’s well known that foodservice establishments often have difficulty retaining staff. Constantly recruiting and training is time-consuming and expensive, so be sure to treat high-performing employees well by giving them competitive compensation, generous bonuses and excellent benefits so that they’re more inclined to stay.