Reduce Time Spent on Recruiting

In a tight labor market, restaurants are struggling, with many reducing hours or even closing due to staff shortages. In a recent poll of restaurant managers and owners, LANDED found that two out of three are spending three or more hours a week on recruiting, and one in six are spending  six-plus hours a week. With average restaurant staff turnover at 130 percent, this is not entirely surprising.

GMs have a lot of different responsibilities, including managing store operations, inventory, handling guest experience and managing budget. While in other industries it’s common to have a dedicated HR or recruiting team, in the restaurant business, general managers typically handle hiring and training as well, on their own. But their time is not unlimited.

Recruiting is an art. While many restaurant GMs are extremely skilled at operations, they aren’t necessarily schooled in recruiting best practices. Most came up through the ranks, starting as a server or a cashier before eventually…