The food and beverage industry or F&B as it is commonly referred to, is a very competitive one. Hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other forms of eateries spring up almost daily. This means that you as a restaurateur have to be on your ‘A’ game.
An entrepreneur might spend money building and equipping a restaurant, ensuring that it has a great ambiance, and then going all out with marketing and adverts; however, all these can produce absolutely no profit withoutthe right staffing. It can therefore be inferred that the right quality of staff is one of it not the most important factors for the success of any restaurant.
Due to the fact that staffing is one of the critical success factors in an F&B business. Every restaurateur must get it right. You can either employ the service of foodservice recruiters or DIY your recruitment process. We however advise that you outsource to professional recruiters.
In this article, therefore, we will share tips on how to get and use the best food service recruiters to ensure that you get top talents for your restaurant.
Qualities to look out for in a Foodservice Recruiter
We advocate that you use the service of recruiters to get the best talents for your restaurant. However, since there is a proliferation of such agencies, you need to know the qualities to look out for before hiring any agency.
Find below a summary of some of those qualities: –
- Expertise in the F&B industry
- Great communication skills
- Excellent salesmanship
- Attention to detail
- Ability to stay focused and persistent
- Time management skills
- Creative approach to recruitment
- Great Networking skills
- Emotional intelligence
- Ability to adapt
- Excellent problem solving skills
- Click here to see the importance of integrity in human interactions.
Tips for Finding the Best Foodservice Recruiter
The above qualities are the important features to look out for in a recruiter. Bearing the above in mind, the following tips will further help you to make the right choice:-
Research
Even though you have decided to hire a recruiter to get top talents for your restaurant, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to put any effort into the process. You cannot just pick the first agency that you see whether online or offline. So the first step in the process is to research.
You can start by asking colleagues in the F&B industry for referrals. Check out these referrals by visiting their websites or even going to their offices if possible. If you did not or cannot get referrals, you can simply conduct your research online.
When checking out companies online, ensure you findall the information you can about the agency. Check out their portfolio of past recruitments and what their clients have to say about them.
Read Reviews
This is a part of the research that must not be overlooked. Ensure that you read the reviews of past clients. Additionally, look out for reviews from candidates that the agency has helped to get employed. The testimonials of these candidates will help you ascertain the recruitment process that the agency uses.
Be wary of false reviews because some agencies or online service providers know how to generate reviews to favor them. One big red flag is when all the reviews are 5-star and just one-liners with no details. You can visit https://www.consumerreports.org/ for more tips on how to spot fake reviews.
Evaluate their Recruitment Process
In addition to reading reviews from past candidates to ascertain the recruitment process of an agency, you can also ask them outright. Visit the office of the agency if possible or send them an email asking for an explanation of the step-by-step process of recruitment.
This is important because the process determines the quality of staff they will attract. This will in turn also determine the turnover of the staff. Recruiters that follow best HR practices for recruitment attract serious-minded top professionals while those who do not attract people who just want to make a buck or two. The latter group of employees are those who will always follow the money which means high staff turnover.
Evaluate their Industry Experience
This is a very important point because the F&B industry is a specialized niche. Do not go for a generic agency because they do not have the requisite expertise to source and select the best candidates. How will they know who is the best fit for say the head chef of a restaurant if they don’t know what being the head chef entails? So working with a specialized recruitment agency is very important.
Conclusion
Getting your staffing right from the get-go is very important for the success of your restaurant. If you do not want to experience high staff turnover which is one of the greatest success blockers in the food and beverage industry, you need to pay attention to this aspect of your business.
We have shared some basic information to help you in this regard. Bear them in mind and you’ll get top talents for your restaurant.
