Finding the right people to work in your restaurant is definitely one of the most important decisions you make as a restaurant owner. Recruit a great team for your restaurant and you’re well on your way to success.
Human Resources (HR) is an art and a science. While it may be worth considering HR training for restaurant managers, there are some proven metrics that you can use right now to help find the right staff for your restaurant team.
This guide will teach you the top tips for hiring the best restaurant staff you can get.
Read More: Choosing a Restaurant Business Structure
Define Your Restaurant Culture
Every sports team, military brigade, pit crew, you name it, has a unique culture. Find team members that fit the existing culture you’ve developed in your restaurant.
Your restaurant’s culture is influenced by:
- Service goals
- The training process
- Front of house and back of house procedures
- Job roles and expectations
These elements define your way of doing things.
They are an expression of the subtler elements of the culture:
- The expressed values
- Shared experiences
- Existing team members’ personalities
- Established communication style
- Development of procedures
One of the most beneficial things you and your managers can do before hiring new restaurant staff is to define in writing how you see the culture of your unique team.
- How do you approach the challenges that you encounter in the restaurant?
- What attributes would someone joining your team need to possess in order to fit in and gain the respect of existing members?
- What might indicate to you that the candidate possesses the qualities you’d like in a new team member?
Use the result of this brainstorm to develop interview questions.
When conducting interviews, pose challenging scenarios. Observe their body language and their answers. Make sure to interview candidates with more than one manager. Let each manager ask the candidate interview questions. Discuss how the interview went and what each of you observed.
Read More: Choosing a Restaurant Business Structure
Hire Restaurant Staff With A Great Attitude
They say “attitude is everything” for a good reason. No one wants to work with someone with a bad attitude. Look for candidates who exhibit a resiliency in the face of a challenge. They will be more apt to handle the daily stresses of working in a restaurant.
Your interview questions should help you find restaurant employees who have a great attitude. These people will be more willing to embrace the training you provide and appreciate the opportunity.
When interviewing, identify which candidate’s attitude most closely matches the values that you and your managers find valuable.
Through a well-developed training system, anyone with a great attitude can be trained to contribute to an awesome restaurant service.
Attract Talented Staff
Interviewing candidates for restaurant staff positions takes time and patience. Avoid the temptation to bring on “a warm body” just to get it over with. This is a sure way to end up with a high turnover rate.
Many restaurants don’t like to provide training to new staff for this very reason. They aren’t sure if they’re going to stick around. Instead of wasting your efforts, perform thorough pre-screening to make sure they are a match in the interview phase.
Additionally, when you bring in the wrong people you risk disrupting the culture of success that you’re building with your team. No one wants to pick up someone else’s slack, especially if they aren’t easy to work with.
When you have great restaurant staff on your team you need to keep them to gain ongoing value from the time and effort you have spent developing their skills. Make sure they feel valuable and appreciated for the work that they do.
High performers like working with other high performers. If you want to recruit talented people for your team you need to make it a place where they can thrive.
Read More: Choosing a Restaurant Business Structure
Offer Candidates Fair Compensation
To get the most from your restaurant hiring efforts you need to attract quality employees from the start.
Take stock of the pay and benefits offered by other businesses that hire from the same pool of talent you are recruiting from. Make sure that you’re offering fair compensation that will attract the quality of workers you need.
Determine what their goals are in the interview and work with them to develop a realistic career pathway. Oftentimes workers are more interested in a position that leads to advancement than just the rate of pay.
Read More: Choosing a Restaurant Business Structure
Summary
Your restaurant success is largely determined by the hiring choices you make. Make sure you understand your restaurant culture and have defined the qualities you’re looking for. This ensures that who you bring in is a good fit.
Regardless of your restaurant culture, you always want people who are easy to work with and appreciate the opportunity you’re providing. Candidates with a great attitude will embrace the training they receive and strive to contribute positively.
Attract talented staff by building a team of high performers. When everyone pulls their weight together hard work is more enjoyable. Avoid hiring out of desperation. The potential to bring down your whole crew is too great.
To attract quality staff make sure you’re offering fair compensation and opportunities for growth. High quality employees know their skills are in demand and will be searching for an opportunity they believe is in their best interest.
This guide to how to hire restaurant staff is part of the free resource library made available by Rezku. Rezku is a leading restaurant management technology solutions provider. From front of house management, online reservations, CRM and customer loyalty, to business intelligence and analytics, to labor, payroll and more.
