7 Tips for Hiring the Right Staff for Your Restaurant

Every restaurant is unique in some or many ways. Therefore, hiring the right staff for your restaurant (your being the operative word) is a critical step in making your business successful.
Your restaurant staff members are your most valuable assets. They are responsible for the food, the management, and the service. Every restaurant staff member has to bring out the best in your restaurant, and getting to that point requires knowing how to find, identify, and hire such an employee.

Finding and identifying qualified staff can be challenging because there aren’t many dedicated to making careers in this industry. What’s more is that high turnover can make it harder to keep good employees at your company. Well, we’re going to provide you with useful tips for hiring the right staff for your restaurant, which will also help you secure them for the long term.
Here’s what you need to know about finding, identifying, and hiring employees for your restaurant. 

1. Release Informative and Specific Job Advertisements

Your restaurant job advertisements should be informative and keyword-specific. Therefore, they should outline the position, the duties they’ll perform, the skills they’ll need, schedule requirements, the company’s culture, your company’s style of service, and the restaurant concept. A thorough ad will function as the first tool to shortlist good candidates.

Here’s what you need to know about managing an independent restaurant Click here 

2. Inform Your Recruiters on Who You’re Looking for

More often than not, restaurant managers are not professional recruiters. So, you’ll have to tell them core qualities, skillsets, and attitudes they should look out for when hiring restaurant staff. Explain to them the restaurant’s core values, too, so that they can pick candidates that are in line with said values.

You must remember that it’s tough to change a candidate’s attitude. An impressive resume won’t do your restaurant much good if they don’t share the same values and attitudes toward service as your restaurant does. For example, if your restaurant focuses on affordable food with rustic presentations, the last thing you’d want to do is hire a chef specialized in gourmet cooking. 

3. Have More than One Person Interview Potential Employees

Getting a second opinion on something—or someone, in this case—is always a good way to assess a situation or person. That is why you should have at least two professionals who completely understand your business conduct interviews with candidates. One may pick on some aspects of the candidate that the other may not have.

This form of assessment can make room for further investigation for some areas of concern. For example, one interviewer may pick up on a candidate looking at the ceiling or the floor when questioned about their previous employment. Such physical cues could possibly mean that the candidate is not particularly forthcoming with the truth. Having more than one interviewer can increase the attentiveness on the potential restaurant workers in question. 

4. Note Down Details During the Interview

Take a paper and pen with you during the interview—taking notes with a tablet could potentially come off as inattentiveness on your part. Note down how you feel about a candidate, what struck out, an answer of theirs that you liked, and what seemed odd.

5. Prepare a Set of Relevant Interview Questions

Having a prepared set of relevant interview questions will provide structure to your interview, and it can effectively uncover important details about the candidate. Your questions should be about customer orientation, organizational fit, and transferable skills. Tailor your questions to reflect real-life situations and how the candidate would react during them. While having set interview questions is necessary, ask follow-up questions on the spot when required.

Coming prepared with questions also showcases a certain level of professionalism from you. Interviews are two-way interactions, so your candidate also asses you. Thus, professionalism makes a good impression—which also entails dressing appropriately, reading their resume before the interview, and being on time. 

6. Pay Well to Get the Best

Hiring the right staff for your restaurant means you must expect to provide competitive salaries and benefits packages. Investing in potential staff is essential if you want to attract top talent and keep them working at your restaurant. This, in turn, will also keep turnover to a minimum. You should also consider offering opportunities for raises over time.

7. Check Every Candidate’s References Thoroughly

When you feel like you’ve found the right candidate, you must confirm if they’re the right fit by checking their references. Ask your prospective restaurant workers for three professional references from previous employers. Only move forward with the hiring process after they’ve provided them and you’ve verified them.

And here are the 7 Tips for Hiring the Right Staff for Your Restaurant.