Restaurants and cafés have been struggling to attract staff in the United States. Part of this is that many workers in this sector are underpaid. Another is because a lot more people are starting out as digital entrepreneurs and don’t want to work nine-to-five jobs.
However, just because many businesses are struggling to attract staff, that’s not to say that there aren’t still suitable candidates out there.
This post will tell you about seven ways to attract quality workers to your restaurant or café (and how you can vet them).
1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
To make your business more attractive to young candidates, you need to make it more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. There is a broad range of DEI strategies that you can use to do this. The reason that this is so important is that young people today are champions of equality and fairness.
You will struggle to find employees if you don’t share their passions. Businesses worldwide are starting to implement and use such strategies because they are a guaranteed way of attracting quality talent.
2. Competitive Salaries
If you want to attract employees, then you need to offer them competitive salaries. Nobody wants to work for a company where they are underpaid. As mentioned in this post’s introduction, many people have left the food and hospitality industry because they feel they aren’t paid enough money.
Offering your staff competitive salaries will also motivate them to work much harder because many businesses aren’t doing this now. You will stand out to people as an employer who cares about their staff, and working for you will be very desirable.
3. Offering Bonuses
In addition to offering competitive salaries, you also need to consider giving your staff bonuses when they work very hard. You may also want to consider giving them insurance or a dental plan.
For low-level staff, this probably isn’t possible, so at the very least, give them a little bit of extra vacation time if they work very hard. A little bit of time off can mean a lot to people working as waiters or waitresses since their jobs are very tough.
4. Working Environment
You won’t be able to encourage people to come and work for your company if you don’t offer a positive working environment. A positive work environment can make working for your company a lot more attractive.
It’s worth noting that you won’t be able to foster a positive working environment if you don’t implement DEI strategies, which have already been mentioned. A workplace that isn’t diverse, equitable, and fair literally can’t be a positive one.
If you identify any staff members as being negative or not making an effort to be more friendly, you may want to sit down and discuss the importance of being positive.
Also, if you can offer ways to provide restaurant automation strategies to reduce stress and free up staff resources, you’ll provide a happier work environment.
5. Personal Protective Equipment
Another reason many people aren’t interested in working in the food and hospitality sector is viruses and diseases. When the pandemic first began, people realized that serving people food and working in close quarters with strangers was actually quite dangerous.
While the pandemic’s mostly over and most people are vaccinated, many people still aren’t comfortable mixing with strangers. You should, for this reason, encourage staff and customers to wear masks and other personal protective equipment. Doing so can make staff and candidates feel a lot more comfortable.
6. Flexible Work
Flexible working hours are definitely something else to consider. Forcing staff to work rigid hours can make working for your company a lot less attractive to young people. People don’t want to have to spend their entire day at work anymore.
If possible, you should also allow staff to work from home a few days a week (if they work in marketing or sales). Naturally, waiters and waitresses won’t be able to work from home. However, you can still offer them competitive and flexible working hours. If you hire twice as many staff, you can reduce their work time.
7. Vetting Candidates
Finally, make sure that you thoroughly vet candidates before agreeing to let them work for you. You should conduct a criminal record check, as well as do some research about them on social media. Social media is a highly effective way of discovering people and how they live their lives.
It is essential to do this when you are a restaurant owner since the staff working for you need to be clean, reliable, and personable. Make sure that you also reference check them, too.
Running a restaurant isn’t easy. A few of the most challenging aspects is attracting quality staff and maintaining a stress-free environment. If you implement the tips outlined here, your hiring strategy will become more effective.
