A huge challenge for any business is to find qualified labor. This is especially true when dealing with opening a new restaurant since finding the qualified workers will be difficult due to a lack of availability. You need to realize that you need a good HR program that can actually bring in the best possible results.
The most important thing that you need to understand is the job description. You should never make it formal and you have to be 100% sure that the job responsibilities and duties are properly outlined. This includes all the required credentials like clean driving record or a valid driver’s license.
The pay scale establishment is next. Make sure that you learn what pay rates are available in the area so that you can establish maximum and minimum rates for every single position. If you want experienced and qualified workers, you will need to pay more. At the same time, you have to be sure that you take into account if the position is regularly tipped or not.
We understand that finding really great employees is difficult but you should consider the tips below, together with the various job fillings you will need in the restaurant:
- Always Hire Right – you have to screen absolutely all applicants so that you can be 100% sure that you choose correctly.
- Detailed Job Descriptions – never make the employees guess about responsibilities, they need to be clear.
- Child Labor Laws And Wage Laws – this is highly important as you should never break Department Of Labor laws.
- Tips Reporting – the IRS does have specific rules that have to be respected about this
- Training – all your employees have to be trained properly. A failure to do this will lead to many problems in the future.
Specific Positions You Need In Your Restaurants
The restaurant does have a set of staff members that is required. You need to always consider the following positions and take time to hire those that are properly qualified:
- Restaurant Managers – The manager is obviously the most important staff member. You need to be sure that the one you hire already managed as many restaurants as possible and that he/she is familiar with all local suppliers, methods and buying sources. At the same time, be sure that the manager has good leadership skills. Based on location, you can realistically expect to pay between $35,000 and $55,000 per year for an experienced manager while the entry-level one will earn anywhere between $28,000 and $32,000.
- Cooks – Chefs – Most restaurants require 2 full time cooks and one that is part time. The lead cook can arrive early in the morning in order to start preparing soups and we have one full time cook that should work days and one that has to work evenings. Part time cooks will be involved during the peak hours, usually during weekend rushes and holidays. The salaries of the chefs are really high when compared with others, usually ranging from $1,300 and $1,800 weekly. Some cooks will even work under a revenue sharing plan.
- Servers – The interaction with the customer is obviously going to happen through the work of the server. This means that you have to hire one that will make a really good impression and will meet customer demands. Make sure that all your servers are scheduled accordingly, based on slow and busy time frames. Because of the fact that really good servers end up making a lot of money from tips, they are paid minimum wage or a little more.