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delawarerestaurant.org
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S t a f f i ng
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Choosing the right personnel
Staffing requirements during busy seasons and holidays can
include just about every service position from hosts and servers to
bartenders, bussers and prep cooks.
Delaware Restaurant Association Director of Marketing and
Membership Karen Stauffer worked in restaurants for many years
earlier in her career. In particular, she assisted with managing,
hiring and training for beach-area establishments.
“Good candidates for us were typically seasonal people who came to
the beach for the summer only and could offer us full availability,”
she said. “Plus, we paid attention to how that person fit. We were
casual but very fast paced with lots of volume and sales. Someone
used to fine dining with less hustle wouldn’t have fared as well.”
Equally important, she became adept at spotting whom not to hire
for seasonal work.
“Things to avoid would be someone who needed extra training,”
she said. “Busy seasons and holidays were not the time to hire
someone completely green. We also learned to steer clear of
those who had other commitments or wanted a lot of time off
while with us.”
Also watch for candidates with excellent interpersonal skills.
“Here in North Carolina, we had a big survey focused on what people
desire when visiting a destination,” said Clark. “Overwhelmingly,
respondents said they want friendly and accommodating people
to take care of them. People will purchase more from golden
personalities – and often tip them better too.”
Finding the right holiday and seasonal employees is similar to
locating regular staff. Make recruiting a mindset and define your
target groups and areas. You might focus on college students
within 20 miles of your restaurant or network with teachers, police
and firemen.
Concentrate on personnel with shining attitudes as well. Good
people tend to associate with other good people. Some of your
model employees might have friends who would be interested in
covering seasonal shifts.
In addition, maintain contact with quality staff who move on from
your restaurant.
“Once you have access to good employees, keep them,” said
Clark. “If they’re good, you’d rather have them some of
the time than not at all. Former full-time, part-time and
seasonal employees might be able to work future seasons
and holidays.”
Be thoroughly tactical too. While the ideal is to receive referrals
from respected resources, you’ll still want to get the word out that
you’re hiring for seasons and holidays. Communicate opportunities
through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Run classified
ads in magazines, newspapers and online forums.
Come selection time, screen with caution. Pore over résumés and
focus on details. Does the applicant have relevant experience?
Does he or she have good communication skills? Also follow
through on references and background checks. Find out what
candidates expect to earn as well.
When it’s time to interview, have a list of items to cover. Whomever
you select will represent you even if for just a short while. Get a
feel for candidates’ thoughts toward foodservice and seasonal or
holiday work. Is it just a way to make money, or are they equally
interested in having fun? See how well candidates interact with
other staff too.
The advantage you gain
If you hire holiday and seasonal staff correctly, you will win
customers, which in the end produces sales volume.
“Let’s face it – speed is important to Americans,” said Clark.
“They want you to greet, seat and serve them quickly. If you’re
undermanned during a rush, you can’t deliver on that. Customers
will expect, appreciate and reward service with adequate staffing.”
You will keep your brand consistent as well.
“If you ask older generations of restaurant professionals
about the key to success, they’ll tell you it’s consistency,”
Clark said. “Your service and food have to be the same
at all times. To achieve that, you need certain numbers of
people in different situations.”
Holiday and seasonal crew leave lasting impressions just as any
other staff member does. Though temporary, they reflect your
culture and your skill in choosing personnel. Knowing how, when
and with whom to staff up during a rush will reinforce your
excellence as a restaurateur.
Tactical Takeaways
• Plan ahead for uneven demand throughout the year.
• Schedule staff according to forecasts of how many guests
you’ll serve during peak periods; track such data using your
point-of-sale system.
• Hire enough peak staff so that total hourly labor costs
represent around 25–30% of total sales.
• College students, teachers on break, policemen and firemen
are all potentially good resources for seasonal/holiday staffing.
• Look for candidates who fit your culture, have good attitudes
and interpersonal skills, and want to have fun.
