Restaurant Recruiting Challenges and Solutions

Why Is Keeping a Restaurant Fully Staffed So Difficult?

Restaurant recruiting challenges and solutions can look straightforward on paper. Finding another line cook, hiring a dependable server, or replacing a manager shouldn't be complicated. But anyone who's spent time hiring for restaurants knows it rarely works that way.

The candidate with the right experience isn't available for the schedule. The person who interviews beautifully doesn't have the skills the position requires. And sometimes, just when you've found someone promising, they've accepted another offer.

After more than 20 years of recruiting for independent restaurants, I've learned that different hiring problems require different solutions. What works for a seasonal server position may not work for an executive chef.

Restaurant Recruiting Challenges and Solutions: Where to Start

Before changing a job advertisement or increasing recruiting efforts, it's worth identifying what's actually making the position difficult to fill.

Are you receiving too few applications? Are applicants missing essential qualifications? Are candidates declining interviews or offers? Or are employees leaving shortly after being hired?

These problems may look similar when you're short-staffed, but they don't have the same causes.

Understanding where the search breaks down helps you determine what needs to change.

When Experienced Candidates Are Hard to Find

Some restaurant positions require experience that isn't easily developed in a few weeks.

An executive chef may need to manage food costs, purchasing, scheduling, and a busy kitchen. A sommelier needs more than an interest in wine. A general manager may be responsible for an entire operation.

When the candidate pool is limited, adding more requirements can make the search even harder.

I encourage operators to distinguish between skills someone must already possess and responsibilities they could learn with appropriate training.

A strong sous chef, for example, may be ready for additional management responsibilities even without having held the exact title you're advertising.

The question becomes whether the restaurant has the resources to support that development.

When the Hiring Budget Limits Your Options

Independent restaurants don't always have the flexibility to compete with larger hospitality groups on compensation or benefits.

That doesn't mean they have nothing to offer.

A predictable schedule, meaningful responsibility, supportive ownership, or an opportunity to develop new skills may appeal to the right candidate.

But those advantages need to be real.

If the compensation is below what experienced candidates are seeking, describing the restaurant as a great place to work won't necessarily close the gap.

Sometimes the solution is adjusting compensation. Other times, it's reconsidering the experience requirements or responsibilities.

Seasonal Hiring Requires Different Planning

Seasonal restaurants face a particular challenge. They may need to build a substantial team for a relatively short period, often while competing with nearby businesses for the same candidates.

Waiting until the season begins can leave little room for training.

Returning employees can be valuable because they already understand the operation. Staying in touch with previous seasonal staff, confirming availability early, and preparing training plans before opening can make a difference.

It's also important to be transparent about the season's expected length, working hours, and housing arrangements when applicable.

Candidates need to know what they're committing to.

When Candidates and Restaurants Aren't a Good Fit

A technically qualified candidate isn't automatically the right person for every restaurant.

Someone accustomed to a highly structured kitchen may struggle in a smaller operation where employees share responsibilities. A manager who thrives in a corporate environment may prefer more established systems than an independent restaurant currently has.

Neither situation makes the candidate unsuitable for restaurant work.

It means the working environment matters.

Ask candidates about the pace, responsibilities, and management styles they've experienced. Explain how your restaurant actually operates, including the parts that can be demanding.

A realistic conversation is more useful than discovering a mismatch after the employee starts.

When Turnover Keeps Reopening the Same Position

Repeated turnover makes recruiting feel endless.

But if several employees leave the same position within a short period, the problem may extend beyond the candidate pool.

Look at what employees were told during hiring compared with what they experienced afterward. Review scheduling, training, management expectations, and workload.

The 7shifts Restaurant Staff Turnover and Retention Playbook offers additional industry context on employee retention.

For a closer look at the hiring process itself, see our article on structured hiring for restaurants.

A Final Thought

Restaurant recruiting challenges aren't solved by attracting more applicants.

Sometimes the job needs to be presented more clearly. Sometimes the requirements need adjusting. And sometimes the restaurant needs to address what happens after it hires an employee.

The most useful solution starts with understanding the actual problem, not simply filling the position as quickly as possible.