Workstream Blog

Restaurant Owners Share Top 5 Hiring Challenges

Written by Nigel Seah | March 8, 2020

Close to 82 million of the US workforce consists of hourly workers - that's almost 60% of the entire workforce. However, the average turnover rate of these employees is astoundingly high at 130%!

We sat down with several leaders in the restaurant and franchise industry to understand what hiring challenges they have faced over the course of their journeys:

"One of the drawbacks of starting as a mobile food truck is that you have an inconsistent work schedule. Simply put, if you are not open every day it becomes increasingly difficult to retain your employees."

 Rishi Soneja, Owner of CITI PIE

"To find people who want to grow with the company. The industry is very competitive, and you want to be sure that your staff is happy working with you. My goal is to put my staff in the best possible working conditions. Your team is your most important asset and there is no way to grow without a dedicated team."

- Pierre Thiam, Co-Founder and Executive Chef at Teranga

"I believe one of the challenges today has to do with recruiters. The whole process of contacting quality candidates and setting up an interview sometimes takes too long, and we end up losing them. I guess I am more old school. I still believe in going to the job location, introducing yourself and trying to meet with the chef or manager, despite that it is becoming more difficult to do nowadays."

- Chef Jose Santos 

"The hiring of hourly workers was rather laborious and often chaotic. While there are so many new candidate/job posting search engines there have been few solutions to manage candidates through the hiring process once they submit a job application. With the hourly jobless rate at an all-time low it has been critical to find ways to speed up the application process and automate candidate engagement flow using current media in order to prevent the loss of a candidate to another potential opportunity."

Evelyn Scalora, CEO of Tin Pot Creamery

"There are so many opportunities for those looking to work in the food service industry. Not only has to compete with all the local restaurants but also the tech companies. Many tech companies have internal cafeterias with a set menu and regular hours. Many workers are choosing to work there as the stress is much lower and the benefits are amazing."

- Jeff Chu, CEO & Co-Founder at Joy Tea

 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 41 million people voluntarily left their jobs in 2019. Based on past trends, this number is expected to grow in 2020 and beyond. With about 60% U.S workforce consisting of hourly workers, we can also expect the turnover rate for hourly workers to rise.

If you find yourself resonating with these challenges, schedule a demo of Workstream. Find out why the world's biggest brands use Workstream to get more applicants in the door, automate the screening and interview scheduling process, and onboard faster. We make your hiring process more efficient and reduce your turnover rates.