The most important factor impacting the success of most restaurants is their staff. Coming up with a creative menu or interesting concept for your restaurant is relatively easy to do and more importantly, it’s easily copied by your competitors. Similarly, serving quality food isn’t going to differentiate your business, since this is a basic standard that must be maintained if you’re going to have a successful business. The one true way to differentiate your restaurant from your competitors is with your staff and the level of service they deliver to your customers.
Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to attract, hire and retain quality restaurant staff in this competitive market. While the Great Resignation may be over, the hospitality industry is still feeling the impact of this phenomenon, as most restaurants are still facing staffing shortages on a regular basis. In fact, 75% of restaurant owners claim that attracting and hiring new employees is their biggest challenge.
So how can you overcome this challenge to ensure your restaurant has enough high-quality staff to deliver the exceptional service and experience your customers deserve? The following tips will help you navigate the process of attracting and hiring the best restaurant staff.
The first step to finding the right candidate for the job is to write a very clear and specific job description that includes real-word examples of what your employees will be doing on a daily basis. This will increase the likelihood that your new staff will understand what is expected of them.
Some specific details you may want to provide in your job posting include:
Not only will this attract individuals who are interested in the position and have the skills to perform the specific duties required of the job, but it will also reduce the chances of a job offer being rejected or the employee quitting shortly after starting.
To do this, spend time prior to the hiring process outlining your restaurant’s core values and the qualities that are most important in determining whether someone is a good fit for your culture. Then, clearly communicate these values to applicants during the hiring process to ensure they are aligned with them. This will help you build a staff that shares your values and beliefs.
In order to attract the top candidates, you must provide more than just a good culture. Your employees come to work every day in order to earn a living. If they’re unable to pay their bills and live the lifestyle they desire, they will look for an employer who will help them achieve these goals.
The market for quality restaurant staff is very competitive, with far more open positions than good candidates to fill them. Therefore, you must offer competitive wages and benefits that will entice the best candidates to choose your establishment over one of the many other job offers they receive.
Expecting your staff to rely solely on tips for their wage is no longer acceptable if you want to attract and hire the best workers. You’ll need to supplement their tips with a fair wage and to be truly competitive, you should consider offering a benefits package that includes health insurance and vacation days. While providing high-end compensation packages may go against traditional industry practices, you’ll most likely find that this decision will pay huge dividends for your restaurant when you’re able to build a quality staff that remains loyal to you.
Offering a good job opportunity can help you attract solid employees who may stick around for a little while. But eventually many of them will move on – often to a career in another field. The best quality restaurant employees are typically looking for more than just a good job. They’re working towards building a long-term career in the industry and as a result, they often desire a position that offers growth opportunities down the road.
Communicating to your job candidates that you actively promote from within when more advanced positions become available will help you attract the best quality prospects looking for these growth opportunities. This will make it easier to build a quality restaurant staff that will stick around, promote your culture to new hires, and deliver the exceptional service your restaurant needs to thrive.
The interview process is one of the most critical steps to the hiring process. This is where you will have the ability to determine which of your candidates have the right skills, are the best culture fit, and will most likely do the best job if hired. If you’re looking for the best quality candidates, you must create a thorough interview process that helps you identify the individuals that meet your high standards.
The following best practices will help you create an interview process that will identify the quality candidates you’re seeking:
Finding high quality restaurant staff in today’s competitive climate can be both time consuming and challenging. Due to the labor shortage in the restaurant industry, you may find that even if you’re able to identify quality employees to hire, it’s still challenging to convince them to join your team instead of a competitor’s. For this reason, it’s often effective to outsource your hiring to a staffing agency. At Xclusive Services, we have you covered.
At Xclusive, we provide staffing solutions for a wide range of restaurant positions, from entry-level roles to management team members. We can provide short-term help if you need to beef up your staff for the busy season, and we can supply long-term employees who will grow with your team over time.
Our Xclusive Excellence™ commitment ensures you will receive the high-quality staff necessary for your restaurant to thrive. With Xclusive Excellence™, you can count on:
To find out how Xclusive Services can help address your hospitality staffing needs, please request a quote, or call a local office for immediate staffing needs.
