How To Hire the Right Employees for Your Restaurant Every Time

Finnegan Pierson

Owning a restaurant can be extremely stressful. You're trying to keep up with your to-do list, keep your customers happy, and on top of everything else, the morale of the staff is beginning to wane. Especially with the uncertainty of the times the world is in, you never know if you can count on some employees to even make it into work. During the Covid pandemic, one in ten restaurants was closed. There are many challenges that you'll face as the owner, but the foundation of your business will rest on the shoulders of your employees to get you through these difficult times. Without your employees, you have no business. So, it pays to go the extra mile and make sure that you're hiring the best employees for the best restaurant in town. It can either make you or break you. So, here is how you can hire the right employees for your restaurant every single time and avoid high turnover rates.

Look Past Experience

It's true that selection for employees might be a bit slim right now. Sure, people are looking for work, but they want to be in a place where they know that they'll have security doing something that they love. In order to get employees in at this time, restaurant owners everywhere need to reduce the energy given to looking at experience. Sure, you want to know if they're capable of thriving in a restaurant atmosphere. Are they good with people? Can they cook? Can they use the proper restaurant supplies? But at the moment, you might need to look past that and strictly look at willingness and adaptability. Offer your position to entry-level people, and more than likely, you'll find the right person who you can train and will pick up fast.

Have Your Interview Questions Ready Before the Interview

The interview is also important, so don't go without it. Before you interview them, make sure that you have a list of extremely important questions you need to ask. Many owners go into an interview and ask random questions with no end goal, and through these questions, they see if they simply like the candidate. But having some important questions in mind before the interview will help you to be prepared to look for anything in a person. For example, ask them if they can work at a given time so there will be no surprises when you hire them.

Interview the Candidate with Two Managers

If you have another manager, it's also a good idea to get them to interview the candidate as well. You can make your interview process a two-step meeting. Doing it this way, the other manager might catch something that you didn't before, and you'll be more comfortable about hiring this person if they pass both interviews. It doesn't have to take much time, and it's important to do in order to have a "double protection" attitude towards your candidates.

Be Sure to Stress that Attitude Is Important

Be sure to stress customer service and attitude every time. An employee might be good at what they do, but if their attitude is terrible towards the customers, the company, and co-workers, that person can bring a restaurant down. Remember that attitude wins every time, and be sure to stress this before you hire them on. Make it known that a poor attitude will have consequences.

Get References Every Time

Never skip out on references. Make sure that the potential hire has at least three of them, and call each one. Two of those references should be from experience if they have it. This is important because you'll be able to know what kind of person they are and if they actually belong in the restaurant industry. Listen to the referrals, and usually, you can take their word on the matter.

You definitely can have great employees in your restaurant if you go through the process carefully and prepared. By doing these simple tasks, your business will be better protected and earn more profits.