10 Things You’re Not Doing To Find Restaurant Talent (But Should Be)

All of the creative recruiting methods and efforts to attract, hire and retain top restaurant talent will fall flat if you are not consistently focused on doing everything you can to take care of your people. 

• Pay well. Money isn’t the most important thing for many, but it certainly does matter.
• Offer benefits. Think outside the box and offer a number of benefits and perks (to both part and full-time employees, if possible) that will help your employees live their very best life.
• Offer development opportunities. Provide ongoing training and show each person what they will learn, what opportunities are in store for them, and why your company is where they want to be!
• Be transparent and focus on culture. Be open, honest and real with where you are now and where you plan to go as a company. Don’t try to copy another restaurant’s culture or be someone you’re not. Be vocal about what sets you apart and proud of who you are.
• Put your people first. Take really great care of your people. Demonstrate day in and day out what a healthy, caring and mutually beneficial relationship between employees and an employer can look like.
• Communicate often. Before jumping to the conclusion that you need to hire more people, talk (openly and frequently) to your existing team. Do they need more hours? Would they be interested in taking on more responsibility? Do they have an interest in learning a new position?

Sure, you may need to backfill their existing role, but this may fill certain positions you’re looking to fill – and it will also open up an opportunity for deeper engagement with your current team. When you get all of this done right and get creative and unique in your recruiting strategies, your staffing game will change (and will get a whole lot better)!