Running a restaurant is not the easiest of jobs, but some people love it and make a success of this as a career. Sometimes they are acting as managers and other times the restaurant belongs to them, but one thing is certain in both situations – you need the right team to back you up.
Define Clearly What You Need
You need to have a very clear idea of the type of person you are looking for. The best way to do this is to write a job description that includes every task they would be expected to do. This is good for prospective candidates too, as this will give them a clearer idea if they want to apply for the job or not.
It should include what skills will be required and what qualities you are looking for in the successful candidate. You should also bear in mind that if your restaurant has certain core values, people who are like-minded will probably be the best employees.
Scales of pay and working hours are obviously an important factor when someone is seeking work, but remember to ask cultural fit questions at the interview too. This can be crucial, as no matter how good they are at some tasks, you will want your employees to work as a team and cultures can affect their ability to work together. You also need to ask about availability, skills and how they deal with a challenging situation.
Staffing experts agree that more than one interview with two different people is also a good idea. Getting the viewpoint of more than one person can be good, as one may pick up on a problem the other has missed.
Don’t Rush
When all your existing staff is run off their feet, it can be very tempting to take on the first person that walks through the door asking for work. This can be a disaster and is not the way to keep good staff.
There are plenty of places you can advertise for new workers in the food business: social media being just one example. You can also ask your employees if they can recommend someone as this might save you some recruiting time. But generally, you are better off taking the trouble to find good new employees than just rushing the process.
Be Flexible With Salary And Times
If you want the best quality staff in your restaurant you are going to have to pay for them and be flexible with the hours they have to work. You have to remember that they all have a life outside of work and if they have family commitments, for example, starting a bit later might just be one of the options they need.
Salary wise, if you really are offering the most you can afford, at least give them the chance for a pay review each year as that gives them hope for the future.
Use Their Skills And Train Them For Others
When you have a good team around you, train them in skills they do not already have. For instance, you could train waiting staff on how to deal with the payments or even let them learn some basic cooking skills. The more people that know how to do each job will mean that at times when there is sickness and vacations, all the work can be covered by your existing team.
The extra training is also good for their morale, as they will know that if ever they leave your restaurant, they will be taking new skills with them to their next position. It also means that should a promotion become available, you are more likely to be able to fill in from within the team you already have.
Seek Help With The Hiring Processes
With so many people unemployed in the US, it is not unusual to get many applications for each job that is advertised. You will spend a lot of time if you have to go through lots of CV’s and interviews, which may well stop you from helping your existing staff that are already very busy. Consider using a staffing agency that will get through all the first stages for you and only send a few people who they consider to be suitable.
Hiring the right staff for any business is crucial, but with a restaurant, it is even more important. You have to know that they will deal with customers in the way you want and that they will follow all the safety and health regulations that are law, as well as any additional ones that you put in place.
