Restaurant Playbook: Hiring

Get it Right, From the First Introduction

Building a great team starts with finding and hiring great talent. Here are some tips to create an interview process for an amazing candidate experience.

Hire to Retain

Expand all

Introduction

Interviewing and selecting the right talent can be very time consuming for managers and chefs with no guarantee of success. This guide offers tools, resources, and best practices to make the process more efficient and create a better experience for applicants.

The hiring process includes:

Advertising jobs – job ads, referrals, social media
Reviewing applications
Interviewing candidates – screening by phone and in-person interviews; interview questions should be focused on position-specific requirements and work experience
Assessing candidates through “working interviews” – sometimes called “Trails”
Checking references
Selecting candidates
Offering them the job

A clear, concise, and structured interview process can:

Protect your business
Attract great people
Build a stronger team

Learn more about job ad compliance in NYC:

NYC provides guidance on appropriate questions and potentially discriminatory questions related to the following:

A Great Experience for Applicants

Everyone you interview could be your next employee. It’s important to treat every applicant like a future member of your team.

Make it easy to apply and interview

Applications should be accessible to everyone - including your existing team!
Make sure there is also a way to apply on-site (paper, tablet, etc.)
Post online or on physical signs the best times for candidates to apply or interview

Hiring Tip: Always use multiple sources when hiring for a position – referrals, online posts, social media, physical posters, etc. This will help attract a diverse candidate pool and build a strong team.

Train your whole team to create a great candidate experience

Make sure your hosts/front desk team know:

What to do when candidates come in to apply
How candidates can apply
How to answer questions for former applicants
How to welcome candidates when they arrive for an interview
When to get a manager involved

Hospitality isn’t only for your customers. Build a great candidate experience:

Offer them water while they wait
Offer them a menu to review
Start the interview on time

Treat your recruitment experience as a ‘brand experience’

The interview experience tells candidates what it will be like to work at your restaurant. Every interaction matters: team interactions, manager presence, and a welcoming environment.

Every applicant is a potential advocate for your business – as a guest or promoter. You want them to have a great experience, even if they don’t get the job!

Build a strong recruiting brand by:

Incorporating your restaurant story and values into your job postings and interview process
Creating an interview process that attracts all types of people and focuses on the things that really matter to you
Engaging your existing team to promote your brand

Design Your Process

Assess your hiring needs

Know your staffing needs by season and use the information to plan your hiring
Promote from within! Review internal candidates for promotions and understand potential upcoming changes to your team
Look at your top performers and determine the technical skills, interpersonal skills, and qualities that make a great hire

Build out your interview experience

Use this interview design tool to determine the key information needed to design your process.

Efficient interview design tips

Interviews should always be a multi-step process (phone interview, in person interview with manager, working interview). The number of steps may vary by position.
Make sure your interviews are not redundant – each interview should assess a different aspect of the candidate’s qualifications and tell them something new about your business.
Keep the process as concise as possible. For example: an hourly cook position should have three (3) interviews or less.
Move quickly with an offer. Providing a commitment on the spot at the end of the final interview will capture the attention of top candidates.
Be decisive! If it’s not a good match, that’s okay. Communicate with the candidate so they can find a new opportunity and you can focus on your other applicants.

Build Systems to Support Your Process

Implement a clear and consistent process to interview all candidates. This will help your business:

Decrease the time it takes to interview and hire
Reduce the risk of potential bias in hiring decisions
Provide clarity for the candidate

Tools to make the process easier

Interview guides

A template of questions (general or role specific) to ask in every interview.
Ensures interviews are consistent and key questions are asked to assess basic qualifications.

Applicant & Interview trackers

A template to track current hiring needs and interview progress
Ensures clear communication amongst different interviews and shows progress in hiring

Reference Check forms

A template form to use for all your reference checks
Ensures consistent reference checks for everyone hired and compliant questions are asked

"Working" Interview process

Often referred to as a “trail” this is an interactive interview that may be observational to assess practical skills and engagement
Ensures candidates understand the potential work environment and expectations and allows employer to see candidates work

Create a great “working” interview candidate experience:

Spend time at the beginning and the end of the interview with the candidate:

At the beginning: Set the tone for the interview and get to know their work experience
At the end: Ask for the impressions, clarify any questions you still have, and let them know next steps

Design a consistent process for this style of interview using this guide and assessment template.

Compliance Considerations

If a candidate is trailing in your restaurant, be sure to onboard and pay them at least minimum wage for all time worked. Please seek further guidance from your legal counsel to determine your company’s compensation strategy for trails.

Great Communication Creates Brand Advocates

Communicate with your team

Share the process with the team
Provide tools to ensure consistency (interview guide, applicant tracker)
Talk about hiring needs in every department

Set clear expectations with your candidates

Clearly communicate interview time estimates:

Phone Screen: 8-10 minutes
First round: 10-15 minutes
Second round: 15-30 minutes
Final Interview: 30 minutes
Working Interviews or Trails: 1-3 hours

Outline the entire process during the phone screening so the candidate knows what to expect.

At the end of the interview, always outline the next steps. This eliminates unnecessary follow up communication and loose ends:

“If we would like to move forward, we will contact you within the next 48 hours.”

Communicate above and beyond

Confirm each candidate’s preferred method of communication
Use one form of communication that all managers can access
Send reminders via phone/text leading up to every interview
Be sure to close the loop with candidates who will not move forward. Today’s candidate is tomorrow’s guest!

Hiring Do’s and Don’ts

Do...take notes during your interview on the resume, your notepad, or the interview guide

Don’t...take notes on an application as it's considered a legal document

Do...focus your questions on performance, job experience, and restaurant specific requirements

Don’t...ask questions related to protected classes

Do...notify the candidate of the compensation range for the position

Don't...ask candidates about previous compensation information

Do...use the interview guide for consistent interviews that assess experience, culture fit, and qualifications

Don’t...ask different questions in interviews for the same position based on personal preferences or biases

Additional Resources

Hospitality Hire: The NYC Department of Small Business Services can help you find your next employees through their Workforce1 Career Centers