How to Hire Restaurant Employees in 4 Steps

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly taken a toll on the restaurant industry. As states continue to open up, restaurant owners and managers are looking for ways to restore their workplace. The competition for employees is as fierce as ever, so in this article, we detail how to go about hiring employees to get your restaurant back on track.

How to Hire Restaurant Employees in 4 Steps

Hiring restaurant employees can be a daunting task, especially in the current climate. Below we outline four steps to take for a seamless process to restore your restaurant workforce. Each of these steps is important to make sure you set yourself up for the most amount of success in attracting, finding, and closing the deal on the talent you need.

The steps to hire restaurant employees are:

Step 1: Identify Workforce Gaps

Before hiring new restaurant employees, it is important to identify where gaps exist in your current staff. Do you need new chefs? Waitresses? Hosts? Create an organized plan for how many people you need to hire and what their role is. Having a concrete, succinct job description is imperative so that you can attract the right people.

Questions to consider when looking at your workforce gaps:

• How many positions do I need to fill?
• How quickly do I need to fill these roles?
• How important is it to retain these workers?
• What is my budget for these employees?

Step 2: Begin a Hiring Campaign

Determine where you will list job descriptions and search for restaurant employees. There are different types of platforms including job boards and neighborhood chat groups. Some ways to begin hiring new employees, include:

• Online job search engines like Indeed and Monster are popular places to list your openings. On these sites, your job description is very important and needs to be tailored to attract the type of person you are specifically looking for.
  • There are also local job boards to post openings for a small fee. Culinary Agents helps staff restaurants in cities across the country. New York State Restaurant Association is a good option to quickly hire for NYC-based restaurants.
• Social media can also attract the right employees. Who better to employ than a dedicated customer looking for work? They already know your restaurant, the food, and probably the staff as well.
• Physical signs around your restaurant. Some restaurant owners find success in advertising their openings on signs near the restaurant location because restaurant employees often live close to the restaurant where they work.
• Word of mouth can be a good way to recruit new trusted employees.
• Local culinary schools often have placement programs for chefs. Some of these programs even pay the wage to help low-income students leverage their culinary skills in the workplace.

Step 3: Review Applications and Interview Candidates

By this point, you should have received plenty of applications for restaurant employees. Invite stand-out applicants to interview and assess if they would be a good fit. Create great interview questions to get a feel for whether this person’s goals line up with your needs.

Some things to look for during the interview process include:

• Friendliness: Working at a restaurant requires A+ customer service.
• Motivation: Restaurants are fast-paced, hectic places. You need someone who is a hard worker and doesn’t shy away from a challenge.
• Intention: Why does this person want to work in the restaurant industry?
• Experience: Working in a restaurant is not easy. It requires a specific set of skills to be an efficient restaurant employee.

Step 4: Onboard and Train

Once you send an offer and the new employee accepts, the paperwork begins. Your HR team will set up the necessary contracts, obtain proper documentation, and familiarize the new employee with your policy and procedures.

Depending on their past experience, this is also when you will need to begin training before they can officially begin.

Onboarding an employee correctly can be the difference between having a rockstar employee and heading right back to the interview pipeline. Turnover is high enough in the restaurant industry so you should find ways to tighten that number, and correct training and onboarding is key to that effort.

Making an Attractive Offer to a Potential New Employee

There are various ways to entice new restaurant employees aside from the job offer alone.

Health Benefits

Many restaurant employees have fear around health insurance. Fortunately, there are alternative options to traditional health insurance.

Paid Time Off

Another option is to offer paid time off to your restaurant employees. Working in a restaurant can be taxing, so prioritizing mental health is more important now than ever as we return to normal life.

Access to Gym Membership or Other Discounts

For a nominal fee, you could get access to discounts for your employees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Hiring Restaurant Employees

How do I hire restaurant employees?

We have simplified the process of hiring restaurant employees into four steps.

What types of employees do I need?

Restaurants require a slew of employees to make an efficient team. Depending on the size and capacity of your restaurant, your employee needs will differ.

What are some potential challenges?

Hiring new restaurant employees is a cumbersome task and there may be bumps along the way.

Bottom Line

Show your employees you care about their health by providing low-cost health coverage through Mira.