How to recruit restaurant staff: 10 (really) effective tips

When it comes to catering, staff are in short supply. And yet, the profession relies on excellent service. This is the paradox of recruitment in the foodservice industry. A shortage of candidates, the difficulty of the job, staff turnover... The problems are numerous. How about some solutions? In this article, you'll find some innovative tips for finding the perfect candidate 🦪. Follow the guide!

Recruiting restaurant staff: mission impossible?

In just two years, the foodservice industry has lost over 500,000 professionals(KYU Barometer 2024). Although the phenomenon has been exacerbated by COVID-19, it has always existed.

Recruiting hotel and catering staff is complex, for reasons inherent to the profession. On the candidate side :

• Working conditions are difficult (arduous job, staggered hours, interruptions);
• Pay is not always attractive (€11.72 on average, compared with €11.65 for the minimum wage);
• Prospects forcareer development or training are often lacking.

Employers :

• Candidates are scarce;
• Sometimes they need to be trained or qualified;
• Absenteeism and turnover are high;
• Contract formats are restrictive (extra, freelance, fixed-term, open-ended);
• Needs are changing (temporary, seasonal) and sometimes even unpredictable.

And no HR to back you up! It's often up to the restaurateur himself to take care of recruitment, in addition to managing teams, schedules, operations, etc. 😰

So how do you form a brigade?

Will you be like Geoffrey Ruamps, owner of the Cap 180 restaurant in Cieurac, who has chosen to hire a robot to replace the waiters in his establishment? At Malou, we love innovation - but not at the expense of the human touch. Of course, the digitalization of certain tasks is a good thing, but the core business remains the same: quality of service. So, to recruit effectively while maintaining the excellence of your staff, follow these tips instead 👇

How to recruit restaurant staff: 5 new must-haves

1. Create the job offer that will make the difference

The first thing to do is to assess the needs of the job.

To take it a step further, you can even create what's known as a "persona", an ideal candidate.

What should it look like? What are your expectations in terms of skills? And interpersonal skills? Laying the groundwork will help you pinpoint what you really want from the position. Your job offer will be more precise, and you'll avoid the risk of premature departure.

Step two: translate your company's personality into your offer (we insist on this point, the "employer brand", in tip no. 3👇).

Include a description of your restaurant: history, date of creation, founders, specialties... Everything that makes you unique. Good restaurant marketing attracts not only customers, but applicants too!

2. Work on your Google image

A candidate's first instinct? Search for your establishment on Google.

So you have to make people want you as soon as they see you online.

Your Google listing (Google My Business) is both your shop window and a way of appearing first when certain keywords are searched. For example: "name of your restaurant" + district, "restaurant + city", "brunch nearby", etc. This work on your keywords and your Google listing is called "local SEO".

👉 Is your restaurant visible online? What do your customers/candidates see? Our experts offer you a free diagnosis!

Free diagnosis

→ Good reflexes :

• Update your schedules on all your platforms (Google, Trip Advisor, La Fourchette, etc.);
• Provide as much information as possible on Google My Business ;
• Respond systematically to negative and positive reviews, ideally within 72 hours; this will considerably boost your average rating.

All these details add up to a great Google listing, because they tell the algorithm that your restaurant is professional, up-to-date, customer-focused, detail-oriented and so on.

Here's a good idea: ask your employees (past or present) to leave you a review! For example, on the atmosphere in the kitchen or dining room, on what they appreciated or learned at your place... A sort of "employer recommendation".

3. Create your employer brand

A concept inherited from the United States in the 90s, employer branding refers to the image you convey to job applicants. Today, it is an essential part of companies' HR and/or marketing recruitment strategies to attract and retain employees.

And in the hotel and catering industry? Does it work?

The answer is yes! An excellent example is Big Mamma, where the 300-strong team (80% of whom are Italians) have dubbed themselves "la squadra" (the squad), providing one amusing piece of content after another , showing the daily life of the restaurant.

To create your employer brand, write :

• Thehistory of your establishment (origins, founders, specialities, region, anecdotes);
• Its "personality" (tone, ambiance, neighborhood, design, colors);
• Values (your commitments, your products, your cuisine, etc.)

In short, choose what best characterizes you and makes you truly different.

We call it "employer branding" because, like a brand, the idea is to tell a story, to showcase the teams and their day-to-day activities, to develop storytelling around the restaurant...

4. Promote your employer brand

There's nothing like your social media to broadcast live the day-to-day life of your establishment, including what we call "employer brand content".

We mentioned above, through your job offers, but above all, through "behind the scenes" photos or videos that show what goes on behind the scenes in your restaurant, informal events, preparations, exchanges between teams or with customers... In short, everything that makes your workplace desirable to a potential candidate.

Our aim: to show you're a great place to work!

Use stories and videos on Instagram (even informally) to show the mood, post photos on Facebook and don't hesitate to write "aspirational" posts on Linkedin (celebrating your employees' talents, their hiring anniversary, what they've brought you, etc.).

The right idea: make your employees stakeholders, or even ambassadors, of your employer brand.

Post employee testimonials, a video explaining why they work for you, a Proust questionnaire, a short interview. Let them take center stage!

Be careful: be sure to identify those who'll want to participate and those who won't. What works well: general emulation (a first video can motivate the others), and vanity metrics (showing the number of likes or reactions to a post). Every 15 days, hold a review where you show the teams the posts that have worked best, to motivate them to continue and give them ideas.

5. Offer unbeatable benefits

Many workers have deserted the restaurant business. One of the main reasons: quality of life. To keep your workforce at full strength, try to make your positions more attractive. Imagine a "package" of benefits in addition to wages that could improve the daily lives of your teams, without harming your business. Be imaginative! For example:

• Free meals and snacks (classic but effective);
• More flexible working hours or extra days off;
• Rewards when certain objectives are met (bonuses, dinners in top restaurants, gift vouchers, gifts in kind, etc.).
• Gym memberships or participation in travel expenses;
• Interesting, up-to-the-minute training courses;
• Incentives based on restaurant results ;
• Co-optation bonuses (see the second part of this article for more details).

All these benefits are part of your employer brand. Don't forget to mention them on your job offers and via your social media.

👉 You now have all the cards in hand to become an attractive restaurant for your future staff! Let's tackle the second challenge of the job: finding candidates 🎣 Where to recruit restaurant staff?

Where to recruit restaurant staff: 4 innovative techniques

1. Test new platforms

You certainly won't learn much in this article if we tell you about France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi) or list the classic recruitment sites.

Instead, round off your visit with these new, original platforms 100% dedicated to the trade:

• Cookiricoan online job site specializing in catering, which also distributes your job offers to their partners;
• ExtracadabraExtracadabra is a recruitment platform that allows you to quickly find CDI, extra, additional waiters or interim managers. You'll find qualified profiles as well as beginners;
• Brigada community of professionals that connects restaurateurs and freelancers for temporary assignments. Ideal for getting an answer in less than 30 minutes;
• HospoJobsa recruitment platform dedicated to the restaurant industry created by the founder of Parisian restaurant Holly Belly ;
• Restoteam;
• Chef Recruits;
• Emploi Resto.

2. Set up a co-optation system

Co-optation involves recruiting someone recommended by someone on your team. It's easy to set up:

• Tell your teams about your search and describe the profile you are looking for;
• Choose the recommended profiles;
• If you hire one of these candidates, reward the team member with a co-optation bonus.

This bonus generally ranges from €200 to €1,000. It can be paid at the end of the trial period, or 50% on departure and 50% on final hiring.

Excellent for employer branding, co-option has many advantages:

• A formalized word-of-mouth technique with a clear process and rewards;
• Faster, more reliable recruitment, as the employee engages his or her own reputation;
• Candidates identified by people you trust, who are certainly compatible with your values and know-how;
• Better atmosphere and retention, since the co-optee is already close to a member of your team.

3. Recruit staff at source

Collaborate directly with training establishments! For example:

• Forge partnerships with culinary schools or specialized food service training courses in your area ;
• Offer internships or apprenticeship programs for young recruits via high schools offering CAPs or work-study programs.

4. Participate in recruitment events or create your own

Visit job fairs dedicated to the sector**.** For example: LHR Emploi organized by the newspaper L'Hôtellerie-Restauration, or Place à l'Emploi Restauration organized by Métro,

Job dating has been all the rage in recent years. These original events, created by restaurateurs or public authorities, focus more on the relational aspect (meetings) or on putting skills into practice.

Every March, Vichy's tourist office organizes a giant food court-style job dating event specifically for the catering trades. In the Var region, France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi) and Umih (Union des métiers et des industries de l'hôtellerie) set up a temporary restaurant, Saint Pierre, run by a brigade of candidates. Candidates served tables of recruiters to demonstrate their skills in real-life situations.

Finally, you can create networking moments in your own establishment. For example, a "+1 evening" where your employees and acquaintances are asked to bring along someone from their network. Be creative!

From employer branding and digital tools to cooptation and job dating, the way we recruit in the foodservice industry is becoming increasingly innovative. Ready to get started?