Recruiting Skilled Restaurant Staff

Hiring & Training Staff

Starting your restaurant journey? Let’s recap where you’re at: You’ve nailed down your concept, scoped out locations, and planned the perfect kitchen setup with efficient flow and all the essential equipment.

What’s next is hiring your first employees. To launch a full-service commercial kitchen or restaurant, assembling a skilled kitchen crew is essential. However, the hiring process can feel overwhelming and often becomes a significant source of stress for many restaurant owners. If that describes you, don’t fret—we’ve provided tips on the hiring process so that you can find the right folks for the job.

Define Your Ideal Candidate

First, identify which positions need to be filled (e.g., chefs, line cooks, and dishwashers) and envision the perfect candidate for each. A good starting point is to analyze your kitchen's needs, the culture and personality you’d like to maintain, and your vision for the restaurant.

Then, write a job description that outlines the ideal person for each role. Include qualifications (skills, education, certifications), experience, and personal attributes. Look at people you’ve worked with in the past or present, who exemplify excellence as inspiration for your ideal candidates.

Create a Job Post

The next step is to create a job post or ad. When writing a job ad, remember that it needs to perform double duty. First, it should “sell” your establishment as THE place to work; and second, it should paint a picture of what it’s like to work in your kitchen.

Start by describing your kitchen's style of cooking, type of cuisine, and atmosphere/vibe. Then, add the qualifications and experience you detailed in the previous step. Remember, keep it realistic—don’t ask people to have PhDs and speak five languages if it’s unnecessary. Stick to what’s needed regarding skills, certifications, and personality.

Next, outline the job specifics, such as pay, benefits, growth opportunities, and corporate culture. Don’t embellish what you offer—be honest about these details, as you don’t want to mislead prospects. Lastly, optimize your post for relevant keywords (e.g., “line cook” or “sous chef”) so it is visible online.

Choose Effective Platforms

One of the easiest ways to reach prospective employees is through recruitment platforms. While they can be competitive, it’s one of the first places people look for jobs, installing dedicated apps and subscribing to job alerts. Common job platforms include LinkedIn, Indeed, and Workopolis.

You can also use food-centric recruitment platforms, such as FoodWork.ca and FoodGrads (which focuses on providing jobs for recent culinary graduates).

Remember that your competitors are likely to use these platforms. So, not only want to be there, but also to stand out through your messaging and offerings.

Consider Using Staffing Agencies

You can also expand your search for talent with the help of staffing agencies. Their whole purpose is to connect candidates with prospective employers, so working with an agency can help make the recruitment process less stressful. Consider working with hospitality-focused staffing agencies:

• Stellar Personnel
• The Chef Agency
• Summit Search Group 
• Staffmax Staffing & Recruiting
• Global Hire
• Patrice Associates
• Insight Global 

These agencies help establish connections between prospective talent and restaurant managers across Canada. 

Conduct Thorough Interviews and Evaluations

After selecting initial candidates, you move on to the interview stage. Key areas to focus on when conducting interviews and assessing candidates include the following: 

• Use a template or guideline to structure interviews clearly and logically. 
• Ask a blend of questions related to candidates’ skills and behavioural preferences (teamwork, flexibility, communication skills).
• Consider conducting “working interviews” where candidates perform specific culinary/kitchen tasks that demonstrate their skills in real-time, real-world settings. 
• Always check professional references and verify experience.

Choosing the right candidate isn’t always an easy task. In many cases, you’ll have to go with your gut. You’ll likely also want to discuss your thoughts with other staff members to reach a decision. However, there are some standout characteristics to look for. 

• Strong teamwork abilities and preferences.
• Evidence of reliability and consistency in terms of adhering to schedules.
• Flexibility and willingness to learn and adapt to new surroundings. 

These traits can matter more than skills. You can always train someone to improve their chopping technique or plating skills, but changing someone’s attitude toward their work or teammates is more difficult—that comes from within.