Need Advice? Talk to an Expert
The Best Recruiting & Hiring Technology for Restaurants
Need Advice? Talk to an Expert
Written by: Hilary Young | Published: May 7th, 2024
Recruiting and hiring new talent is one of the biggest challenges facing restaurant operators right now. Aside from the talent pool seeming smaller in a post-pandemic world, the process of recruiting and hiring restaurant staff can be a heavy lift if you don’t have the right tools in place to support you.
Thankfully, there are plenty of technology options available to aid you or your Human Resources department in managing all of it. Our team of experts at Back of House have spent time in the trenches, and understand the unique hiring challenges that come along with being a restaurant operator. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best options to consider when it comes time to hire new talent.
Staffing and Labor Shortages: Hospitality’s Biggest Challenge
The restaurant industry–and more broadly, the hospitality industry–has seen a decline in labor and employment over the past decade. Due to a variety of factors, including benefits,wage competition, and work-life balance constraints , it’s become increasingly difficult to find qualified and reliable employees to work at restaurants.
As a result, employee turnover is high, which can be costly for restaurants. From disruptions in service to increased training costs, having employees leave abruptly or simply not show up for shifts can have a devastating impact on operational efficiency.
Harnessing Technology to Tap New Talent
Many restaurants are turning to technology to help them solve their employee shortages. Different platforms have popped up over the past few years that intend to make the process of recruiting and hiring restaurant talent less cumbersome. While plenty of restaurant operators are also getting creative about how to retain staff once hired, getting smarter about how to find them in the first place is crucial to a restaurant’s success.
We’ve identified some of the best technology platforms on the market to help streamline your research process. They cover a variety of strengths to consider based on your restaurant’s needs.
VETTED AND APPROVED BY BACK OF HOUSE EXPERTS
Our Top Picks
Feeling overwhelmed by all the options out there? We’ve got you covered. Our team of experts have identified their top choices for website builders for you. As you review, pay close attention to more than just price–from the level of your own involvement in the process to the other types of integrations that work well with each platform, it’s important to take your restaurant needs into careful consideration before making an investment.
Any paid partnerships have no influence on our evaluations and suggestions. All our opinions are our own.
GREAT JOB BOARD
Poached has a network of hospitality professionals with years of experience and a variety of skills. They can connect you with talent that is available to fill shifts temporarily, part-time, or join your team permanently.
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Features
Who it's best for
Enterprise and multi-unit restaurants who want more visibility on their job posts.
Things to consider
There’s no membership fee, it’s a pay-as-you-go business model, but that can get expensive if you need to frequently fill positions and shifts on Linkedin and other
Where it excels
They have a partner network and can boost your posts for permanent staff or fill-in positions across a variety of job search platforms, including Linkedin, Monster, and Indeed. They claim that boosted jobs see an average of 67% more resumes.
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Support
GREAT FOR FINDING GIG WORKERS
Qwick is a staffing platform for part-time and flexible jobs in the food and beverage industry that pays workers within hours.
Features
- Staff flexibly and fill shifts with qualified freelancers through the easy-to-use digital platform, eliminating the inefficiencies of traditional temporary staffing
- The “to-do” tab allows you to verify the times your freelancer(s) clocked in and out and pay tips to your freelancer(s) for shifts worked
- Each freelancer on the platform is reviewed and rated. If you are unhappy with the freelancer that arrives, let them know within the first two hours and there will be no charge
- A Qwick shift must be at least one hour, and must be posted a minimum of four hours before shift start time
Who it's best for
Ideal for restaurants that are looking for a restaurant-specific job board for hiring and temporary shift-coverage.
Things to consider
There is a cost associated with this job board: you have to pay 40% on top of freelancer’s hourly pay rate, They are available in 23 markets and growing! Check to verify your region is served.
Where it excels
They have a tried and true approach to finding the right talent with freelancers who are vetted for you ahead of time. Their proprietary matching algorithm promises to find you the right talent with the right skill set for any shift.
Support
GREAT FOR LARGE ENTERPRISE RESTAURANT
HourWork’s recruitment messaging flows and staff engagement features makes hiring and retaining employees simple.
Features
- Keep in touch with new hires and proactively manage onboarding issues with automatic new hire check-ins
- Get valuable feedback from current and former employees with pulse surveys and exit surveys
- Celebrate important milestones with automatic birthday and anniversary messages
- Re-engage past applicants and former employees with customized messaging flows
Who it's best for
Franchise and multi-unit restaurants looking for hospitality talent with previous work experience.
Things to consider
HourWork makes hiring easier by re-engaging past applicants and former employees. You’re able to get qualified applicants onboarded quickly by potentially hiring people that have already worked in your restaurant. HourWork has a variety of tools for employee communication and retention and is trusted by a variety of restaurants and franchises.
Where it excels
HourWork is great for hiring and from past employee and applicant pools, but this feature is only available at 20+ location restaurants.
