---
title: "Restaurant Recruiting: How to Hire and Keep Great Staff"
description: "A practical restaurant recruiting guide: why hiring is hard, a job ad template, where to post by country, interviews, paid trial shifts and retention."
canonical: https://menumigo.com/guides/restaurant-recruiting
source: Menumigo
---

# Restaurant Recruiting: How to Hire and Keep Great Restaurant Staff

> A practical restaurant recruiting guide: why hiring is hard, a job ad template, where to post by country, interviews, paid trial shifts and retention.

Written by The Menumigo Team · Updated 2026-09-12 · 13 min read

**Short answer:** To recruit restaurant staff well:

1. Fix the reasons people leave, starting with pay, schedules and management.
2. Write job ads that state the pay and the shifts.
3. Post where hospitality workers actually look, and ask your team for referrals.
4. Make applying take two minutes on a phone.
5. Run short interviews and a **paid** trial shift.
6. Onboard new hires properly in their first two weeks.

**Key takeaways**

- US accommodation and food services had a **quits rate of 3.5%** in July 2026, against 2.1% for the private sector overall (BLS JOLTS, preliminary). People leave this industry far more often than most.
- **Retention is recruiting.** Every person who stays is a vacancy you don't have to fill.
- In the EU, the **Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970** requires employers to give candidates the starting pay or pay range before the interview. Member states were due to transpose it by 7 June 2026. Several US states also require pay ranges in job ads.
- **Pay for trial shifts.** Unpaid trials breach employment law in many countries.
- A **referral bonus** paid after the new hire's probation period is usually the cheapest source of good candidates.

**In this guide**

1. Why restaurant hiring is so hard
2. Step 1: Start with your current team
3. Step 2: Make the job worth taking
4. Step 3: Write a job ad that gets applications
5. Step 4: Post where hospitality workers look
6. Step 5: Build a referral programme
7. Step 6: Make applying easy
8. Step 7: Interview and trial shifts
9. Step 8: Onboard in the first 14 days
10. Step 9: Keep them
11. Legal checks by country
12. FAQ

---

## Why restaurant hiring is so hard

Restaurant work has several things most jobs don't:

- **Evenings, weekends and holidays** when friends and family are off
- **Split shifts** in much of southern Europe (lunch, a break, then dinner)
- **Variable income** where tips or hours change week to week
- **Physically demanding work** with long hours on your feet
- **Seasonal peaks** in tourist areas, with everyone hiring at once

The result is high turnover. In the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' JOLTS survey, the accommodation and food services quits rate was **3.5% in July 2026**, against **2.1%** for all private employers (preliminary figures). Hospitality businesses in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Turkey report the same pressure, especially before summer.

You can't change the nature of the work. You can change what makes people leave one restaurant for another: **pay, predictability, management and respect**.

## Step 1: Start with your current team

Before advertising, find out why people stay and why they leave.

**Ask current staff (one-to-one or anonymously):**

- What is the best part of working here?
- What is the one thing you would change?
- Would you recommend working here to a friend? Why or why not?
- What would make you leave?

**Ask everyone who resigns (exit interview):**

- Why are you leaving?
- What could we have done to keep you?
- What does your new job offer that we don't?

Look for patterns. If three people mention late schedules, fix the schedule before writing a job ad.

## Step 2: Make the job worth taking

Candidates compare you with the restaurant down the street. Give them at least one clear reason to choose you.

| Lever | Examples |
|---|---|
| **Pay** | Pay at or above the local going rate and say so in the ad. Be clear on how tips or service charges are shared |
| **Predictable schedules** | Publish rotas 2 weeks ahead, guarantee minimum hours, avoid sending people home early without pay |
| **Fewer split shifts** | Where possible, offer continuous shifts. This is a real differentiator in Spain, Portugal and Italy |
| **Days off together** | Two consecutive days off each week |
| **Staff meals** | A proper meal per shift, not leftovers |
| **Growth** | A visible path: runner → server → head server → floor manager; commis → chef de partie → sous chef |
| **Training** | Paid wine, coffee or allergen courses, and language lessons for tourist areas |
| **Respect** | Zero tolerance for abuse from guests or managers, and act on it |

## Step 3: Write a job ad that gets applications

A good restaurant job ad answers the candidate's questions in the first few lines: **what, where, when, how much**.

### Job ad template

> **[Role] at [Restaurant name], [Neighbourhood, City]**
>
> **Pay:** [€X–€Y gross per month / per hour] + [tips / service charge share]
> **Contract:** [Full-time / part-time], [permanent / seasonal until DATE]
> **Hours:** [e.g. 5 days, 40 hours, continuous shifts 16:00–24:00, Sundays and Mondays off]
> **Start date:** [Date]
>
> **About us:** [2 sentences: what you cook, how big the team is, what it's like to work there.]
>
> **What you'll do:**
> - [3–5 concrete duties]
>
> **What we're looking for:**
> - [2–3 must-haves, e.g. "6 months' experience in a busy dining room", "Speaks Portuguese and English"]
> - [Nice to have: e.g. "Wine knowledge"]
>
> **What you get:**
> - [Staff meal, schedule published 2 weeks ahead, paid training, 2 days off together]
>
> **How to apply:** [Send a WhatsApp to NUMBER / apply in 2 minutes at LINK / come in Tuesday–Thursday 15:00–17:00.]
>
> *Don't tick every box? Apply anyway. We train people who want to learn.*

**Tips:**

- **State the pay.** Ads with a salary attract more serious applicants, and in the EU and several US states you have to share it anyway.
- **Use the real title.** Write "Line cook" or "Cocinero/a", not "Culinary rockstar".
- **Offer the ad in the languages your candidates speak.**
- **Keep requirements short.** Long lists put off good candidates who meet only most of them.

## Step 4: Post where hospitality workers look

| Channel | Markets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indeed | All | Largest general job board |
| LinkedIn | All | Better for managers, sommeliers and head chefs |
| Hosco | International | Hospitality-specific, popular with hotel and fine-dining staff |
| InfoJobs | Spain, Italy | Widely used for hospitality roles |
| Net-Empregos | Portugal | Large general board, many restaurant ads |
| France Travail | France | Public employment service, free to post |
| Kariyer.net | Turkey | Largest Turkish job board |
| Culinary Agents, Poached | USA | Hospitality-specific boards |
| Instagram and Facebook | All | Post a "we're hiring" story with the pay and a photo of the team |
| Local Facebook and WhatsApp groups | All | Expat, student and neighbourhood groups |
| A sign in the window | All | Still works for walk-in candidates who already like the place |
| Your website | All | A "Work with us" page that lists open roles |

### Partner with hospitality schools

Contact the careers office or internship coordinator at nearby schools, for example:

- The Turismo de Portugal hotel and tourism schools
- Basque Culinary Center (Spain)
- Institut Paul Bocuse (France)
- ALMA (Italy)
- The Culinary Institute of America (US)
- Local vocational schools

Offer paid internships with real training. Many good interns become hires.

## Step 5: Build a referral programme

Your team knows people who already do this job, and they won't recommend someone who'll make their shifts harder.

- **Pay a bonus in two parts:** half when the new hire starts, half after they pass probation.
- **Make it worth it:** a cash bonus, an extra paid day off, or a dinner for two.
- **Tell the team every time a role opens.** A message in the staff group chat is enough.
- **Thank the referrer publicly** when a hire works out.

## Step 6: Make applying easy

Most restaurant candidates apply from a phone, often on a break.

- **No account creation and no long forms.** Ask for name, phone, role, availability and experience in one or two sentences.
- **Offer WhatsApp as an application channel.** It is how many candidates in southern Europe and Turkey prefer to reach you.
- **Reply within 48 hours**, even with a no. Good candidates are off the market within days.
- **Mobile-friendly careers page.** Test it on your own phone.

## Step 7: Interview and trial shifts

### A 20-minute interview

1. **Two minutes:** introduce the restaurant and the role.
2. **Ten minutes:** ask behavioural questions (below).
3. **Five minutes:** state pay, hours, contract and start date clearly.
4. **Three minutes:** take their questions.

**Questions that reveal more than "what are your strengths?"**

- Tell me about the busiest shift you've worked. What did you do when it got out of control?
- A guest says their dish has an allergen they told you about. What do you do?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a manager or chef.
- What schedule works for your life right now?
- Why do you want to work here rather than somewhere else?

### The trial shift

- **Pay for it.** Pay at least the normal hourly rate for a 2–4 hour trial. Unpaid trials breach employment law in many countries.
- **Pair them with a strong team member**, not the busiest person on the floor.
- **Assess what you can't see in an interview:** speed, attitude under pressure, how they speak to guests and colleagues.
- **Ask your team afterwards.** They'll be working next to this person.

## Step 8: Onboard in the first 14 days

Many new hires decide in their first weeks whether to stay.

| Day | Onboarding |
|---|---|
| **Before day 1** | Contract signed, schedule sent, uniform sized, WhatsApp group added |
| **Day 1** | Tour of the venue, introduction to everyone, staff meal together, steps of service explained |
| **Days 1–3** | Shadow a trainer. Learn the menu, allergens, POS and table numbers |
| **Days 4–7** | Work a reduced section with support |
| **Day 7** | 10-minute check-in: what's clear, what isn't |
| **Day 14** | Review against a simple checklist, give feedback, confirm next steps |

**Make the menu easy to learn.** Give new servers the menu with ingredients, allergens and the story of each dish. Test them with five questions at the end of the first week. For service standards, see [restaurant steps of service](/guides/restaurant-steps-of-service).

**Train food hygiene.** In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food handlers to be supervised and trained in food hygiene in line with their work. In the US, several states and counties require a food handler card.

## Step 9: Keep them

- **Publish schedules on time** and respect agreed days off.
- **Hold a monthly one-to-one** of 10 minutes with every team member.
- **Give raises on a clear timetable**, such as after probation and yearly.
- **Recognise good work publicly** in the team meeting or group chat.
- **Promote from within** before hiring a manager from outside.
- **Remove a toxic high performer.** One person can drive out three good ones.
- **Reduce avoidable stress:** clear allergen information, a menu that's correct every day and working equipment make shifts calmer.

## Legal checks by country

This is a starting checklist, not legal advice.

| Topic | EU (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy) | Turkey | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right to work | Check work permits for non-EU nationals | Work permit for foreign nationals | Form I-9 for every hire |
| Pay in job ads | Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970: pay or range before interview. Check national law | Not generally required | Required in several states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, New York and Washington |
| Written contract | Required, with terms set by national law and sector collective agreements | Required for most employment | At-will employment is common. Written offer recommended |
| Food hygiene training | Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, plus national rules | Required under national food law | Food handler cards in several states |
| Trial shifts | Should be paid | Should be paid | Must be paid as work time |
| Tips and service charges | Rules on sharing vary by country | Varies | Tip pooling rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state law |

## How Menumigo fits

Menumigo is a digital menu platform, not a hiring tool. It removes a few daily frustrations that wear staff down:

- **A menu that is correct every service.** Change prices, specials and sold-out dishes from a phone, without reprinting.
- **Allergen tags for all 14 EU allergens** on every dish, so new servers can check rather than guess.
- **Translations** into 20+ languages, so servers aren't translating every dish for every tourist.
- **One menu link** new hires can study before their first shift.

Try the [demo menu](/demo) or [create a free menu](/free-digital-menu-maker).

## FAQ

### How do restaurants attract good employees?

Pay at or above the local rate and say so in the ad. Publish schedules in advance, offer a visible path to promotion, treat staff with respect and make applying quick on a phone. Referrals from your current team are usually the best source of reliable hires.

### Where is the best place to find restaurant staff?

Use a mix: Indeed plus a local board (InfoJobs in Spain and Italy, Net-Empregos in Portugal, France Travail in France, Kariyer.net in Turkey), hospitality boards like Hosco or Culinary Agents, local social media groups, hospitality schools, and referrals from your own team.

### Why is restaurant employee turnover so high?

Evening and weekend hours, split shifts, variable pay, physical strain, seasonal demand and management problems all contribute. In July 2026, US accommodation and food services had a 3.5% monthly quits rate, against 2.1% across all private employers (BLS JOLTS, preliminary).

### Should restaurant trial shifts be paid?

Yes. Pay trial shifts at least the normal hourly rate. In the US, trial work counts as work time under wage law, and in many European countries unpaid trial work breaches employment law.

### What should a restaurant job description include?

Include the job title, location, pay or pay range, contract type, hours and days off, start date, 3–5 duties, 2–3 must-have requirements, benefits and a simple way to apply. In the EU, candidates must receive pay information before the interview under Directive (EU) 2023/970.

### How can I reduce staff turnover in my restaurant?

Publish schedules two weeks ahead, guarantee minimum hours, give two consecutive days off, raise pay on a clear timetable, train and promote from within, and hold short monthly one-to-ones. Act quickly on abusive behaviour from guests or colleagues.

## Sources

- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Table 4: Quits levels and rates by industry (release of 1 September 2026, July 2026 preliminary data). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm
- Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II, Chapter XII (training). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/852/oj

## More restaurant guides

- [All restaurant guides](https://menumigo.com/guides.md)

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