Local business pro addresses restaurant recruiting
The Pittsburgh metro, including Bethel Park and other surrounding areas, is home to some of the most vibrant and culturally diverse food and drink establishments in the entire Northeast.
We love our city and its awesome bars and restaurants, but in recent years the service industry’s labor shortage has led some great places to cut hours, lose revenue or in the worst case shut down completely.
I am a locally based business coach and I have had the privilege of working with great restaurant and bar owners in the Pittsburgh area for many years, and today’s job market is like none I have ever experienced.
In today’s article, I am going to share some insight on recruiting service industry workers, specifically focusing on employees for bars and restaurants. Since wages are skyrocketing and cutting into, or sometimes erasing all, profits of local establishments, we’ll focus on other areas where you can build value and attract the right employees. Read on for my best local restaurant and bar recruiting tips.
Work On Your Process
It should be easy for people to work in your establishment. With wages in all industries on the rise and jobs available in many fields, if a person doesn’t like it at your place there are many chances to go elsewhere. For this reason, it should be simple for someone to do their job.
Innovations in technology can help here, but the main thing to keep in mind is to ensure people have a clear definition of their role and what they’re being asked to do. Create guidelines for each employee to follow, and let them know they all can help each other work in a smooth system. Taking the time to make an effective process will not only help your place run better, it will help you attract and keep the right people.
Incentivise Recruiting
I am sure any restaurant or bar owner who is reading this article has run a special at some time in the past. Whether you’re promoting a new menu item at a great price or you ordered too many kegs and need to sell cheap beer, promotions can help you reach your goals.
Why not apply this to recruiting, too? If you have good employees, offer a referral bonus for anyone who they bring in or offer a sign-on bonus in your job postings. If you do this, be sure to include a caveat for the bonus to be paid after a certain amount of hours or weeks worked.
Offer Advancement
If you typically hire seasonally, it might make more sense to keep those people on longer term to cover for potential openings in the near future. It’s also important to understand what a person’s goals are when you hire them. Sure, some people are looking to make quick money or work part time, but others might want to pursue restaurant ownership or the culinary arts. If you have people who want to learn, help them by showing them the ropes and offering advancement.
By understanding your applicants and employees, you will have the best chance for keeping them motivated, happy and working for your restaurant or bar.
If you own a restaurant or bar in the Pittsburgh area and need business assistance, whether just with recruiting or other areas as well, I would be happy to help. Complete the questionnaire on my website to get started today.
