The challenges related to personnel management in the restaurant industry (fast food, collective, or traditional) are multiple and complex: recruitment of qualified personnel, retention, training... Constantly confronted with these HR issues, managers are often overwhelmed and always spend a lot of time (too much).
From small restaurants to large multinational chains, all companies are affected by the same phenomena: demotivation, absenteeism, job abandonment, etc.
And Covid has not helped matters. The untenable 2020/2021 situation has resulted in a sharp decline in vocations in an industry already heavily impacted by turnover.
When the economic situation imposes a real headache on restaurant owners, how to find staff, regardless of the season?
Why is there a lack of staff in restaurants?
Cooks, chefs de rang, runners, waiters, multi-skilled employees in fast-food or collective restaurants: all positions are affected.
Among the causes of this widespread dislike are:
- Lack of staff training (a great way to build loyalty)
- Lack of development (blocked or uninspiring perspectives)
- Compensation levels too low (uncompetitive wages, taxable tips, etc.)
- Difficult working conditions (shifting hours, arduousness, etc.)
You are a restaurant owner and you are currently recruiting? Then there's no time to lose!
Discover all our tips to become a recruitment pro!
How to find staff in the restaurant business?
1. Anticipate your recruitment needs
First come, first served!
Before you hit the wall, start by putting all the chances on your side so you won't be caught off guard when the time comes.
Indeed, it is common to take several weeks to recruit a new employee, or even several months when it concerns qualified personnel or subject to a notice period.
As profiles are becoming increasingly scarce on the market, it is necessary to recruit earlier and earlier.
Come forward now!
2. Contact Pôle Emploi
Go directly to the source!
Pôle Emploi has a pool of several tens of thousands of potential candidates, immediately available and hand-picked by the agency's advisors. It couldn't be more practical.
3. Harness the power of recruitment sites
There are a multitude of online recruitment sites. Some are even specialized in the restaurant sector: HotelCareer, Alloextra, Emploi CHR, etc.
In this jungle of platforms and job offers, it can however be difficult to make your offer stand out and attract the best profiles. The operation can also be time consuming.
4. Delegate to temporary employment agencies, employment agencies or specialized recruitment agencies
And focus on your passion!
In concrete terms, these agencies do the work for you for a fee: you save precious time by entrusting your recruiting to service providers whose job it is.
5. Partner with training schools
Who is more motivated than a young graduate?
Contact the training schools in your region directly during the school year and offer a position in your establishment. High schools throughout France offer, for example, CAP courses in cooking, service, pastry-making, baking or ice-cream-making.
Students looking for an internship or young graduates looking for their first permanent job, call on the professionals of tomorrow!
6. Use your network and word of mouth
This is our best advice!
Talk to your family, friends, partners and service providers and rely on the strength of your network to find the perfect match. There is inevitably someone in your entourage to recommend an acquaintance or to pass on the message. In terms of efficiency, we haven't found anything better! And it's free.
7. Create a buzz on social networks
Easier said than done. But neglecting social networks means depriving yourself of a great communication channel, used by millions of people. And therefore potential recruits for your company!
Be inventive and social networks will give it back.
For example, Nabil Hazza, co-manager of the Pinocchio in Nîmes, offers 1 year of pizzas to the person who finds his or her new pizza chef!
Result: 155 likes and 43 comments on Instagram.
A stroke of genius can bring you considerable visibility: perfect for your recruitment and for your business!
8. Involve your team in recruitment
Turn your team into real headhunters! Set up a co-optation system with a bonus at the end and you will quickly see the applications pouring in.
This option has the merit of turning your employees into ambassadors and saving you precious time.
9. Stand out from the competition
Is your job offer sexy?
As the balance of power shifts, some managers are willing to do anything to seduce:
- change to a 4-day week,
- consecutive days of rest,
- Provision of accommodation for the season,
- profit-sharing in the restaurant's results,
- premiums,
- Etc.
Offering good working conditions, in addition to a salary, can pay off and make a difference when recruiting for your restaurant.
Can tech solve the recruitment problem in the restaurant industry?
The lack of personnel in this sector is not new. But neither the numerous efforts of the employers, nor the recent measures of the authorities have yet succeeded in curbing this shortage.
Is the answer to this problem to be found elsewhere?
Replace your staff with robots
Do you really believe that?
It's true, some concepts of autonomous restaurants like Pazzi and its pizza robot in Paris, or Eatsa in San Francisco have appeared in recent years. But is this really what your guests are looking for today?
For the time being, no more recruitment and personnel management problems. But in terms of human relations, it's not the same...
In any case, this is not the vision we share at Innovorder.
Rethink your restaurant's organization and staffing needs
As we all know, every restaurant owner's worst nightmare is not being able to provide service due to a lack of staff. There are several digital solutions to avoid this problem, and we'll be taking a closer look at them shortly.
From order taking to billing to kitchen preparation, every step counts. The slightest error in the process results in a negative experience for your customers and wasted time and money for your establishment.
It is therefore important to review the entire customer journey and understand the extent to which technology can have a positive impact on the organization.
An expert whose job it is can help you with this (free of charge) → talk to a counselor.
Replacing low-value tasks with the right level of technology saves time and avoids complex and costly recruiting.
Digital technology must be seen as an ally at the service of your teams and your customers.
Let's take two examples tailored to the commercial restaurant industry:
The QR code
This digital tool is a win-win solution for you and your customers.
- Placed on every table in your establishment, it empowers your customers. They are free to sit down, read the menu, order and pay directly from their smartphone, without needing the assistance of a waiter.
- Your waiter can then concentrate on welcoming, accompanying and serving.
- The QR code increases the average ticket thanks to automatic suggestions for extras in the order interface(+ 15 to 25% observed among Innovorder customers).
The control terminal
A kiosk answers the complex problem of shifts. No matter the day or time, ordering and paying is child's play for your customers.
During peak hours, it allows to increase the number of orders by avoiding long queues at the counter, which at best are synonymous with frustration, at worst with renunciation and therefore with loss of customers and revenues.
Other benefits include:
- 25 to 40% increase in your average basket thanks to photos and suggested extras,
- 5% more customers,
- employees focused on reception, service and kitchen preparation.
"The terminal saves me an enormous amount of time. When there are big rushes, it saves my life." Nils, co-founder of What the Foc?!
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As you can see, there is no shortage of options for recruiting. But these options are only part of the solution to a fundamental problem.
Unlike other industries, the restaurant industry has only recently begun to embrace digital technology. However, technology opens up unprecedented opportunities and considerable development potential in the interest of managers and their staff, but also of customers!
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Are you a restaurant owner? Are you facing recruitment difficulties?
Contact an Innovorder consultant and discover how to put technology to work for you and your teams!
