Hiring people to fill positions at restaurants can be a tricky task. You want someone who can do the job but will also stick around and live up to the expectations you may have based off the hiring process. Many times, the interviewing process focuses on experience, customer service history and technical skills. While these are useful tools for any restaurant worker, the person hiring staff for a restaurant must look a bit deeper to find the right fit for the establishment. This is why finding those intangibles and overlooked traits in a person looking for a job is so important. Here are three often overlooked traits restaurant owners and management should consider in any hiring process.
Responsibility
In the fast-paced world of restaurants, hiring responsible employees is always important. Responsible staff members show up on time, do the job asked of them and understand the importance of customer service. Whether you are hiring a cook to ensure food safety or a server to calmly deal with customer complaints, responsibility helps create a smooth operation and workflow for the entire restaurant while creating a great customer experience.
Hiring managers often overlook responsibility when hiring a new staff member. Let’s face it, there isn’t a real way for someone to say they are responsible on a resume. During the interview process always ask potential hires for examples of times they took ownership of an issue and how they helped to resolve it. Seek answers that shows you the person made a mistake, owned up to it and then fixed that mistake. Understand everyone makes mistakes. It is how you learn from those mistakes that is important. This is a great exercise for hiring managers at restaurants because it can help you weed out the folks who are truthful and those who are not. Responsibility is the foundationof dependability and dependable employees are crucial for any restaurant.
Availability
Technical skills are always important for restaurant staff. Availability to work and being flexible when it comes to scheduling is just as critical in the restaurant industry. Many restaurants need coverage during the hot times of the week, month and year. Weekends, holidays, late nights at some restaurants are all necessary for some restaurant staff to work. These are often when people may want to ask off or call out. Hiring workers who have open availability is key to fill these voids on these nights. Hiring managers may often overlook the availability of potential hires just because they need bodies to fill roles within the restaurant or they might hire someone just because they have a strong resume.
However, an employee’s availability directly affects the scheduling of staff within the restaurant. If a worker says they can work openly in the interview but then says they can only work 4 days a week after hiring it puts pressure on the entire team because you are essentially losing a team member for those nights you were expecting to have an extra hand. During the interview process clearly lay out the restaurant’s peak hours of operation and the needs for staff during these times. Prioritize hiring candidates who are open to cover these high peak times and are open to working extra shifts. If you dig deeper in your discussions with potential hires, you can get a better feel of the person. Ask them if they are willing to work the high-end hours. If they can come in on weekends. Would they be willing to cover someone’s shift if they have an emergency and must call out. Availability is key in the restaurant industry to keep service running smoothly.
Core values
Every single restaurant has its own feel and vibe. It has a personality to it. This personality rubs off on the workers creating a culture for the establishment. This can be a casual space or a high energy spot that is just over the top with its service. Hiring employees to fit the atmosphere and values of your restaurant is key when it comes to creating a cohesive team that builds on customer service and experience.
During the interview process, speak to potential candidates about their personal values when it comes to work and customer service. Those who align with the values of the restaurant must go to the top of the list. When you find those individuals in the hiring process that fit your team, understand the core values of the restaurant and know how to give great customer service you should hire them. Give them a chance. These folks, even if not qualified in the traditional ways may give a boost to your staff and could even lead to a potential manager one day.
Experience always matters when hiring people to work in a restaurant. However, responsibility, availability and cultural values are often overlooked hiring traits that can make or break a staff in a restaurant. Prioritizing these qualities when it comes to hiring staff for your restaurant is key in creating a team that gels together and can get the job done seamlessly on those busy nights. Hiring the right people to fit into your staff will ultimately lead to a better work environment, better cohesion between front of house and back of house while creating a better experience for customers.
John Waters is the Principal of Waters Business Consulting Group, LLC in Scottsdale, Arizona. Waters is an expert in helping business owners, management, and executives achieve their goals and grow their businesses.
