How To Hire The Best Staff For Your Eatery

As we collectively shake off the dust of 2020 and Australia begins to return to a new sense of normal, foodservice has never been more important in the everyday lives of customers. Australians are looking to reconnect with their go-to establishments and back the foodservice industry with a focus on supporting local. That means that you might need some extra hands-on-deck to give loyal customers the best experience.

We’ve heard from many business owners that traditional hiring practices are fundamentally flawed. Lowering the turnover of talented staff as you come into an increase in business is crucial. So, how do you hire like a boss? We asked our industry experts on 7 tips to hire the best staff for your eatery.

1. Who Are You Looking For Really?

It seems obvious but this is one of the easiest mistakes businesses can make when hiring a new employee. 

You might think that what you’re after is something intangible that you’ll only be able to spot in person, but if you take the time to qualify what you’re looking for, you’re far more likely to be able to find that special someone and not be influenced by a stellar interview that may not eventuate to a stellar staff member.

This is also crucial for nailing your job posts – because it’s just as important for you to know who you’re looking for as it is for applicants to know if that’s them. Take the time to think about your dream person’s must-have skillset and clearly outline that in your ad.

2. Dig Deep In The Interview Process

When hiring, it’s difficult to know what’s fluff and what’s true. Taking the time to get to know someone in a 30min interview is virtually impossible – but the answer to this problem also isn’t to conduct a gruelling two-hour meeting. We suggest conducting multiple interviews to better determine if the candidate has exactly what you need. 

You should also consider aligning with your broader team on what questions to ask candidates to get an even more fleshed out idea of what your larger team needs.

3. Where Are The Good Talent?

Knowing where to look for talent can be incredibly daunting and with so many hiring agency options, it’s difficult to know which hiring agencies are good. If you are adding to a solid team that you’re already very happy with, don’t be shy to ask your talent where the other talent is. The great members of your team likely know equally great potential staff, so don’t underrate referrals from current staff that you respect. You could even consider offering great current employees a finder’s fee for bringing in new talent.

It’s also important to consider hiring for potential and looking for people who can grow with your business. A great way to do this is to extend outside the traditional hiring pool. Working with differently-abled people is not only fantastic for your business, but you may also help very talented people receive the training and get the foot in the door that they need to become thriving members of the community.  

By extending your talent pool, you’ll have access to a group of people who are very willing and able to join your team, as well as making a valuable contribution to the community!

4. What About Your Company Culture?

Hiring the right employee is important; you know that, we know that. But too often we see culture ignored in place of skillset. Hiring for culture fit is just as important to a business as hiring for talent. 

Whoever you hire will be coming into a team that they’ll need to operate with your existing team at the fast pace of the foodservice industry. It’s crucial for hiring success to find someone who fits your ideal company culture. 

Talk to your current staff about what they love or don’t love and develop the type of culture you’d like to foster around that. Hiring for attitude to create a great company culture can not only help you attract candidates but also retain amazing staff. 

5. Don’t Rush - Hiring The Right Talent Is Important

Foodservice is an incredibly fast-paced industry and hiring is hard. If you’re short-staffed, the pressure to fill an empty spot just to get extra hands is difficult to avoid. But filling spots with people who are there but may not be the right fit can backfire and create more work later on with a revolving door of staff. Try to focus on someone who is the best person for the job, and who is committed to staying with you for the long term.

6. What’s In It For Candidates?

Once you find your as near to perfect person as possible, you want to make sure that they say yes to you! In a market that’s incredibly competitive for talent, it’s important to let your winning candidate know ASAP when you’ve made your choice. 

To attract and retain quality staff, do not low ball your salary offer. Even if a talented candidate accepts a low ball offer due to unemployment, they’re likely to keep looking and move on if and when they receive a better offer.

Consider what you think is fair, and for particularly talented staff you may need to be willing to invest in them.

7. Reward Workers And Promote From Within 

If you already have talented and hardworking staff, look within your business to reward loyalty. Creating a culture that supports the opportunity for career development can be a great way to attract more staff in the future. And one can assume that you already know a lot about the person who’s within your business, including their skills, potential and culture fit. 

You could also think about cross-training roles. Many eatery workers retain multiple jobs. You could offer your staff the opportunity to have multiple jobs within your business and receive the benefit of additional training and experience.