StaffedUp Blog

Hiring in the restaurant industry isn’t what it used to be. You’re not just trying to fill a shift, you’re trying to find someone who shows up, fits in with your team, and doesn’t bail after two weekends.

Sounds simple, right? It’s not. Between ghosting, no-shows, and applicants who disappear after “I’ll let you know,” it’s easy to feel stuck.

Whether you’re a restaurant manager, general manager, or the owner wearing all the hats, figuring out how to recruit restaurant staff today means thinking smarter, not just working harder.

You’re competing with other employers, a tight labor market, and a generation of job seekers who value flexibility, communication, and workplace vibe more than ever.

Good news? You don’t have to wing it. This guide breaks down a better way to recruit faster, easier, and with way less guesswork.

If you’re tired of posting jobs into the void, sifting through the wrong people, or watching your new hires walk out two weeks in, we’ve got your back.

Why Is Recruiting Quality Staff So Hard?

Running a restaurant business means juggling a lot. You’re filling shifts, covering for no-shows, managing orders, and keeping service running smoothly. Hiring should help. Instead, it often feels like another full-time job.

You post online, wait for someone promising, and end up with applicants who have never worked a register or shown up on time. You hire fast because you have a staff shortage, but then they quit before the month ends. Now you’re back where you started.

Here’s why difficulty hiring is becoming the norm in restaurants:

• Turnover eats your time. In a high turnover industry, you’re constantly replacing people. It pulls focus away from training and slows your whole team down, especially when you rely on many hourly workers who rotate often.
• Too many unqualified applicants. Sorting through dozens of resumes just to find one qualified candidate is frustrating. And it’s not getting easier.
• Hiring in a rush costs you. When you bring someone on just to fill a gap, they often don’t stay. Or worse, they show up late, call off often, and drag down team morale.

The real issue isn’t a lack of people. It’s that most hiring tools are built for office jobs, not restaurants. They don’t move fast enough, and they don’t help you tell a great story about your workplace. That’s what today’s job seekers care about.

Ready to stop guessing and start hiring smarter? Post your first job for $1.

7 Simple Steps to Recruit Restaurant Staff (Without Losing Your Mind)

So how do you actually hire great people without wasting hours or settling for someone who quits after two shifts? You need a process that works at the pace of restaurant life. It should be fast, clear, and built for finding real humans, not just resumes.

Here are seven simple steps to recruit restaurant staff that actually stick around and won’t drive you up the wall.

1. Make Your Job Posts Stand Out (and Keep It Real)

Most job posts sound the same. They list off tasks, mention “competitive pay,” and hope someone decent clicks apply. But if your post reads like every other one on a job board, it’s going to blend in fast.

This is where a little honesty and personality make a difference.

Tell people what they’ll actually get working with you. Be clear and upfront when writing hospitality job descriptions: include real pay, tips, employee discounts, and what a typical shift actually looks like.

Share something about your vibe, whether it’s laid-back, all hands on deck, or built around training people with new skills. That’s what helps restaurant workers feel like your spot is worth applying to, especially recent grads from local culinary schools or people interested in growing their culinary arts skills.

Use simple, friendly language that reflects your workplace. You’re not hiring for a law firm. Talk like a human. Let your company culture come through in the way you describe the job. That’s what grabs attention and attracts more employees who want to be part of your team.

2. Post on Major Job Boards

You don’t have time to post the same job in five different places. Between the lunch rush and last-minute call-offs, logging into multiple platforms just to get one role out there slows everything down.

You need reach, and you need it fast.

Posting to major job boards like Indeed and Google Jobs helps your listing show up where job seekers are already looking. But it shouldn’t take hours. One post should be enough to hit all the right spots.

When your post goes live in more places at once, you attract more qualified candidates without chasing them down yourself. That’s the kind of reach that makes hiring smoother, not harder.

Don’t stop at online posts. Job fairs at local schools can bring in top talent from your own community. Whether you’re hiring for the back of house or front of house, a mix of digital reach and local visibility works best.

3. Filter Out Unqualified Applicants Early

Not every applicant who applies is a fit. You already know that. But sorting through a pile of resumes takes time you don’t have, especially when most don’t meet the basics.

Filtering early saves your energy for the right people.

Set clear deal-breakers upfront. Think about availability, transportation, and whether they’re familiar with the demands of the hospitality industry. Those are essential parts of many restaurant roles. Add screening questions to your application process so you’re not wasting interviews on people who’ve never worked a line or can’t work weekends.

You can also ask about schedule flexibility, interest in culinary arts, or whether they’re looking to grow into more responsibility. The earlier you narrow your list, the faster you get to candidates matching your team’s needs.

No more digging through messages or guessing who’s worth calling back.

4. Simplify Communication (No More Ghosting)

You find a solid candidate. You send a message. Then… nothing.

Ghosting in hiring happens, but a slow reply or missed message can cost you a great employee. When you’re juggling multiple interviews across texts, emails, and random DMs, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks.

You need a faster, cleaner way to stay in touch.

Keep your messages in one spot. Respond quickly. Send reminders before interviews. The faster you reply, the better your chance of keeping qualified candidates interested and engaged.

Good communication tells a candidate what kind of place you run, and it’s an essential part of building trust from the start. 

Include staff members in the interview process so candidates get a feel for your team dynamic and your team stays on the same page, too. Show them you’re organized and ready. That starts before day one.

5. Schedule Interviews Without the Drama

You shouldn’t need ten texts just to lock in a time for a quick interview. You’re busy, they’re busy, and half the time, someone forgets to show up.

This is where most hiring gets stuck.

Set your availability once, then let candidates pick a time that works for them. No endless back-and-forth, no double booking, no missed calls. 

When scheduling is easy, more people show up, and you can focus on finding the right candidates, not chasing them down.

Need to hire multiple people fast? Try holding interviews at job fairs or local culinary schools to connect with motivated applicants in person.

Speed matters. The faster you move, the better your chance of hiring someone before another place does.

6. Onboard New Hires (Without Paperwork Stress)

You finally found someone solid. Don’t lose them in a pile of paperwork.

Chasing forms, printing packets, and waiting on signatures slow everything down. It’s a bad first impression, and in this industry, day one matters.

A smooth onboarding process helps new team members feel like part of the crew immediately. Go digital. Collect everything in one place. Make it easy for new hires to fill out what they need so they’re ready to work.

Onboarding is also an essential part of your retention strategies. When staff feel supported and connected from day one, they will likely stick around. The easier you make it, the faster they get on the floor. No delays, no missing documents, no stress.

7. Take Advantage of WOTC Tax Credits

Hiring costs money. But what if some of that money came back to you?

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) gives restaurants a chance to earn back part of their hiring spend. If a new team member meets certain criteria, you could qualify for a federal tax credit. That’s real money. Just for hiring people you were already going to bring on.

The catch? Most restaurants miss it because they don’t have time to deal with the paperwork.

Screen your applicants early, flag the ones who qualify, and let a system handle the rest. You’ll save time and get credit for hiring the people you need.

Top Qualities to Look for in Candidates

You don’t need the perfect resume. You need people who show up, work hard, and fit your team. Skills can be taught. Attitude can’t.

Some of your best hires might come from referral programs through current staff, family members, or connections at local culinary arts programs. These candidates often show strong potential and are easier to train.

Here’s what to watch for when reviewing applicants or during interviews:

• Reliable – They show up when they say they will. No excuses, no last-minute bailouts.
• Team player – They work well with others, stay positive, and keep things running smoothly during the rush.
• Good communicator – They speak clearly, listen well, and aren’t afraid to ask questions.
• Adaptable – They can jump into new tasks and handle pressure without falling apart.
• Willing to learn – They’re coachable, open to feedback, and ready to build new skills.
• Customer-minded – Even if they’re behind the scenes, they care about the guest experience.

These traits won’t always show up on a resume. Sometimes, it comes down to asking the right questions and watching how someone responds. A smart recruiting strategy helps surface the best candidates even if they’re just starting out.

How Restaurants Are Winning With StaffedUp

When you’re hiring constantly, you don’t need more steps. You need a system that actually helps. One that saves you time, gets better applicants in the door, and makes the whole process feel less like a scramble.

StaffedUp was built to fix that.

Built by restaurant owners, StaffedUp is hiring software made for high-turnover teams. 

It handles everything that slows you down, like job postings, candidate filters, messages, interview scheduling, and onboarding in one place. No spreadsheets, no switching tabs, no missed messages.

It’s fast to set up, easy for managers to use, and actually gets results:

• 8x more applicants – Reach a bigger pool without posting on every site yourself
• 45% decrease in turnover – Bring on people who stay longer and fit better
• 77% shorter time-to-hire – Fill roles faster without cutting corners
• 10x peace of mind – A better process, fewer headaches, stronger teams

That’s not just talk. Here’s what it looks like on the ground:

• Bailey’s made hiring consistent across six locations by giving store managers the tools they needed while keeping HR in the loop. They saw stronger candidates, fewer no-shows, and smoother coordination.
• LHM Group fixed their scattered hiring process across 33 restaurants. They cut turnover by nearly 30 percent and got new employees in the door twice as fast.
• Taggr ditched an overpriced system and got 300 percent more applicants while cutting costs by 80 percent. Their 35 locations now hire at scale without burning out their teams.
• Katie’s Pizza used StaffedUp to stop wasting time chasing the wrong people. With scheduling and screening automated, they focus on hospitality-first talent who actually stick around.

These teams all had the same problem: too many tools, too little time, and not enough qualified candidates. StaffedUp helped them fix that.

Want to see what better hiring looks like? Post your first job for $1 or book a quick demo today.

Stop Stressing, Start Hiring Better With StaffedUp!

Hiring doesn’t have to drain your time or wear you out. When you’ve got the right system in place, finding and keeping great people gets a whole lot easier.

You already know what’s slowing you down: too many platforms, too many unqualified applicants, and not enough time to do it all.

StaffedUp is built for busy, high-turnover teams like yours. It helps restaurant and hospitality operators hire faster by automating job posts, filtering applicants, managing communication, and keeping onboarding simple, all in one place. 

No clunky software. No guesswork. Just better hiring, less stress, and more control.

If you’re ready to stop chasing no-shows and start building a stronger, more reliable team, you’re in the right place. Post your first job for $1 today!

FAQs About How to Recruit Restaurant Staff

How to hire staff for a restaurant?

To hire staff for a restaurant, start with a solid job ad that highlights pay, schedule, and expectations. Post it across major online job boards, then use filters to focus on quality candidates who match your needs. Make your interview process fast and organized so potential employees don’t lose interest. And don’t forget to treat candidates with respect; first impressions go both ways.

How much does it cost to hire restaurant staff?

The cost to hire restaurant staff depends on where you post and how long the process drags out. With StaffedUp, you can post your first job for $1 and save money by cutting down on employee turnover and wasted hours. Hiring the wrong person or hiring too slowly costs way more.

Why is it hard to hire restaurant workers?

It is hard to recruit restaurant employees because the hospitality industry is facing a labor shortage, and many restaurants are competing for the same group of hourly employees. Add in inconsistent hours, minimum wage concerns, and limited benefits like health insurance, and it’s no surprise that line cooks and service staff are harder to keep. Plus, so many employees are juggling multiple jobs just to get enough hours.

How do you determine the staffing needs of a restaurant?

To determine staffing needs for a restaurant, look at peak hours, table turns, and how many roles need coverage, like front of house, back of house, hosts, prep cooks, and more. Factor in time-off, training for new restaurant workers, and how many current employees are reliable. Conduct exit interviews to spot turnover trends. A smart hiring strategy includes backup coverage, room for new skills, and strong retention strategies to hold onto good employees.

How can restaurants improve employee retention and attract more staff?

Restaurants can improve employee retention by writing job descriptions that are clear and engaging. Highlight workplace culture and flexibility, and build connections with local schools or culinary arts programs. Encourage staff members to refer family members. To attract more employees, focus on creating a workplace people enjoy and want to stay in.