How to Recruit Restaurant Staff in a Proper Way

A restaurant business can only be successful and profitable with effective staff. People consider that delicious food is the main trick of a successful restaurant business. But the reality is different; delightful food is only half the battle for a successful restaurant business. Restaurant staff are responsible for gaining restaurant popularity and excellent customer service. So, to be successful in the restaurant industry, hiring the proper and effective staff is mandatory. In this article, we have explained in detail on how to recruit restaurant staff.                                                                                                                       

What Is The Staff To Guest Ratio In A Restaurant?

As we know, the staff plays the most important role in a restaurant. They are the key to boost your restaurant sales. So, hiring the right staff is crucial for a restaurant business entrepreneur. Every restaurant business entrepreneur should know how to hire staff for a restaurant and the staff-to-guest ratio in a restaurant. 

It is quite hard to decide how much staff is needed for your restaurant. Having fewer employees can make your customers unhappy and create a difficult situation for the existing employees. On the other hand, when you are overstaffed, it can reduce your profit. This article will help you to find what is the exact staff-to-guest ratio in a restaurant .

How many employees does a restaurant need? It depends on the types and sizes of the restaurant, operational hours, menu complexity, etc. A restaurant's average staff-to-guest ratio is 1 server per 4 to 5 tables, 3 to 4 kitchen workers, 2 support workers and 1 manager. Here, we have given general guidelines for different types of restaurants.   

Fast Casual Restaurant: 

Fast casual restaurants are mainly found in the US and Canada. A concept between fast food and casual dining followed it. Quick casual restaurants are famous for their service style and streamlined menus. These types of restaurants can function very well with a moderate staff-to-guest ratio. 

In a fast-food casual restaurant, 1 staff can handle 10 to 15 guests, including the kitchen staff, cashiers and food runners. However, an additional 1 to 2 staff members are needed during peak hours. There is at least 1 manager who is mandatory to manage and oversee the entire operations. 

Fine Dining Restaurant And Bar:

Fine dining restaurants are full-service first class restaurants. They have specific menus and meals. You will get high-quality services in a fine dining restaurant with beautiful decorations. Fine dining restaurants need a higher staff-to-guest ratio to provide better services. 

In a fine dining restaurant, 1 staff is needed for 2 to 4 tables. These types of restaurants need a larger team to maintain the kitchen operation. In a fine dining restaurant, at least 5 to 10 kitchen specialists are found, like executive chef, sous chef, etc, to maintain high-quality culinary standards. And especially for the bar management, 2 to 3 wine and dine staffing are needed for the beverage services.

Family Restaurant:

Family restaurants are casual restaurants where the food is served on platters, and the diners serve themselves. In a family restaurant, more attentive customer service is required. The ratio of guests to staff in a family restaurant is 1 server for 4 to 6 tables. It can vary due to the complexity of the menus. 

Restaurant Staff Positions List

When you involve yourself in a restaurant business, you need to know every aspect of the food business. Before hiring the staff for your restaurant, you need to know what restaurant position you need to fill and how many people should be in a restaurant. Every restaurant has different styles and sizes and provides various services. So you need to fulfill  additional requirements for the services. Here are some staff positions that you may need to fill. 

Restaurant Manager

The manager is one of the most important staff at a restaurant. A manager knows how to manage a restaurant properly.They ensure the restaurant is running smoothly. On the other hand, a manager hires the staff, maintains the schedule, manages finances, etc. In some cases, managers interact with customers and handle the situation.  

Chef

In a restaurant, you will find different types of chefs. They are in charge of the kitchen operation. Without an experienced chef, you will never be successful in the food business. So, you need to fill the position with the right staff. For this you must have to know how to hire kitchen staff. 

Host

In a restaurant, you will find the hosts. Their responsibility is to greet the customers and guide them. Hosts can also take reservations, answer phone calls and manage the waiting list.

Dishwasher

This staff washes dishes and utensils using the industrial washer. They are one of the busiest staff in a restaurant.

Server

The server plays an important role in a restaurant. They suggest the menus to customers and take orders from them. Their primary duty is to serve food and beverages to the guests. 

Cashier

In a restaurant, cashiers handle the money. So hiring an honest and experienced cashier is very important to get the best result. They are very important restaurant service staff.

Cleaner

Many other restaurant workers can be needed according to the type of restaurant. 

In addition to the general staff, You may need to hire some additional staff who can do multiple tasks so that they can handle the restaurant without any staff.  

How To Recruit Restaurant Staff: Tips And Tricks

A well-staff hiring strategy is the first step to recruiting restaurant staff. Building an excellent restaurant staff and making a hiring strategy involves several factors. As a restaurateur, you need to know how to recruit restaurant staff. You can face many challenges while recruiting restaurant staff, but you must overcome all the challenges. There are also many restaurant industry recruiters and they provide services to recruit restaurant employees. 

How do I find restaurant employees? If this question is destroying your night sleep then here are some essential tips and tricks for creative ways to recruit employees. You will be able to learn the different types of recruitment strategies or hiring ideas for restaurants from this article. 

01. Calculate How Many Staff Needed For Your Restaurant

After getting into the restaurant business, you must recruit your restaurant staff. The first step in hiring a restaurant staff is to calculate how many employees you need to hire. It depends on the sizes and types of the restaurant. 

It takes fewer workers if you have a small restaurant with limited tables and menus. You can run these types of restaurants very smoothly. On the other hand, if you have a large restaurant with a complex menu, it takes many more workers to run the operation smoothly.

02. Determine Your Recruiting Budget

A fantastic team is the most essential part of success in the restaurant business. Before hiring the staff, you have to determine your hiring budget. The budget for your staff should account for their salary, insurance and rewards. So, you have to be clear about what types of employees you will hire and how much you will pay them. 

03. What Roles Need To Fill

When building a well-performing staff, you must determine what role or position you have to fulfill. To run a restaurant, you must hire a manager, cook, kitchen staff, server, dishwasher, etc. In addition, you also need to hire hosts, bartenders, etc, if you open a fine dining restaurant and bar. 

04. Make A Good Job Description

Job description plays a vital role in recruiting staff. When interested employees search for a job, they first notice the job description. People who have culinary skills can have different jobs in a restaurant So, you have to make a firm job circular for hiring staff.  

In the job description, you have to list the specific tasks and responsibilities of the staff. Along With these, you must declare the education qualification and experience required for the position. Most importantly, you must mention the working hours, exact requirements and the salary in the job description. 

05. Use Different Types Of Recruitment Channel And Software

After making a good job description, you must contact the people searching for the jobs. There are many ways you can use it for recruiting restaurant staff. 

Your first responsibility is to hang the job hiring description list in front of your restaurant so people can quickly notice it. It is a traditional idea for recruiting ideas for restaurants. This traditional hiring strategy includes taking references from family and friends. You can get high-quality restaurant staff from family or friends' recommendations. It is the best way to hire restaurant employees.

As we live in the internet era, it brings the whole world into our hands. You can use the Internet to hire the restaurant staff. For example, you can use different social platforms, restaurant staff recruitment agencies, advertisements, restaurant hiring software, etc. Advertisement on other TV channels and newspapers is also a trendy method of restaurant recruitment. It is a very creative recruiting ideas for restaurants and considered the best place to hire restaurant employees.

06. Arrangement For An Interview

When you stand out the resumes, you must meet with the job seekers. The interview can be stressful for the job seekers and interviewers. But it is essential to find out who the natural talent and dedicated person are while interviewing. 

First, you must analyze all the documents the job seekers provide. Then, you have to see the behavior and appearance of the interested person who came for the interview. Although, it is challenging to judge a person based on a few minutes of meetings. So you must be very careful while taking the interview because choosing the wrong person dramatically weakens your restaurant's reputation.

07. Hire Staff Who Live Near To The  Restaurant

While hiring the restaurant staff, try recruiting those who live near the restaurant. It has many advantages. The staff who stay near the restaurant can be available to do the extra hours. Another additional benefit of hiring staff who live near the restaurant is they can manage their time correctly.  

08. Willing To Training

Experience is the most essential thing in being successful. It is your duty to hire the experience, but in most cases, you may need to get the exact skills you seek. In that situation, you may arrange training for restaurant staff so that you can make something unique. 

Why It Is Important To Recruit A Skilled Restaurant Staff

Importance of a skilled restaurant staff is mandatory. The restaurant business is considered the most challenging business. Almost 60% of new restaurants are estimated to fall within one year of establishment. The main reason for the restaurant's failure is unskilled and inexperienced restaurant employees. When you have skilled employees, it helps to reduce food waste and increase your restaurant efficiency.     

It is essential to hire skilled restaurant staff. A professional and experienced staff is the factor that takes a restaurant business to the top level of success. In a restaurant, every single employee is equally essential. Every staff member, like a manager, cook, dishwasher, server, kitchen staff, etc., ensures the customers get the best services. You may use restaurant staff management to manage your staff effectively. 

For example, if you have a skilled host and server, they know how to attract more customers and provide them with high-quality services. On the other hand, when you have experienced and professional cooks and kitchen staff, they know how to make mouth-watering dishes and decorate them perfectly.

A restaurant business owner can only envision some sites of a restaurant, including the back of the house and the front of the house. But it is mandatory to keep every sector of your restaurant under vision and control. When you have skilled and trusted employees, your responsibilities reduce dramatically. So, the restaurant business owner needs to hire the right staff.

How To Motivate Restaurant Employees

It is very challenging to survive in the competitive restaurant business. A restaurant can only be successful when it provides high-quality food and excellent customer service. It is the best way to gain popularity in the food business within a very short time. To be a good restaurant you have to follow all the latest technologies and strategy.

As a restaurant owner, you have to make a flexible working situation. It helps the staff to work smoothly. When the workspace is relaxed, your employees feel comfortable, and the workflow increases rapidly. To increase your restaurant efficiency, you have to motivate your restaurant staff. There are many ways you can boost your employees superbly.

When employees do a great job and maintain all the rules and regulations, always remember to congratulate them. Give them all the credit they deserve. Moreover, you can create several opportunities to attract them to the restaurant. You can also raise their salaries and try to give handsome amounts of festival and other bonuses. This is how you can motivate your restaurant staff.

The Verdict

Teamwork is the best work. A business is only successful with a hardworking and dedicated team. The restaurant business is not out of the rules. So, you have to be very careful while recruiting your restaurant staff. It would help if you researched enough on how to recruit restaurant staff. With the proper knowledge, you can successfully recruit the best staff for your restaurant and run multiple restaurant businesses.