Hiring Tips for Restaurant Owners

Owning a business requires nerves of steel, extreme confidence especially during tough times, but most of all it requires the ability to fully trust one’s employees. A new business is much like a new baby; it requires time, patience, and an endless amount of attention. The first time one has to trust someone else to care for that fragile thing as if it were their own it is absolutely terrifying. And yet it is physically impossible for a successful business owner to be present every moment of the day. This is especially true for restaurant owners as their businesses can often open first thing in the morning and not close until well after midnight. Due to the large amount of cash transactions and the access to alcohol restaurant owners can find it doubly difficult to delegate. The ability to trust employees starts with hiring well and continues on with the everyday respect and appreciation for the people that make or break the business’s success.

For a restaurant owner hiring well means looking beyond a person’s industry experience to get a more complete look at a potential employee and what he has to offer. With tools such as online job posting boards many businesses get an overwhelming response to open positions. This puts the owner at a great advantage. First, weed through applications to get only those with the necessary experience and knowledge of the restaurant industry to adequately fill the position. Next, go through that group and look at the average time the person typically spends at a job. The food and beverage industry has high employee turnover, and one way of reducing that is by seeking out employees who have shown past job loyalty. A resume loaded with positions held for a few months at a time is a red flag, and that person is probably not worth investing the money on job training. Once the possible job candidates have been whittled down to the best possible options invite them in for interviews and notice promptness and professionalism. Being late for an interview is a sure sign of future time management issues, and a potential food server or bartender should be comfortable talking during the interview as the job requires great people skills.

After hiring talented, reliable employees it is important as a restaurant owner to protect the investment that has been made on training them. Also, wait staff plays a monumental role in the dining experience, so great employees should be treasured. There are several things restaurant owners can do to make employees feel respected and valued. Remember that this is a job for them, and employees are there primarily to get paid. Make sure payroll is always on time, and if staff is asked to come early or stay late they must be paid for that time. Give recognition for jobs well done, either verbally or something more formal such as employee of the month. A business that is experiencing incredible growth is doing so partly because of the hard work of the staff, so a small bonus or party to celebrate all that they have helped you as a business owner achieve is fitting.

Dedicated employees that are treated well rarely go out looking for new jobs. Staff retention keeps a business running smoothing, and cuts down on the cost of continually training new people. By putting in the initial work to select applicants that are more likely to become long term employees, and then following that up with a few key moves to help retain those employees restaurant owners will see how their jobs become easier over time. Trustworthy employees allow restaurant owners to take much need time off and to feel comfortable doing so.

Kevin Jones is a professional blogger that writes for MyNationalGrocers.com, a leading wholesale restaurant supplies company.

Posted in: General,Resume