Now We’re Cooking: How Restaurant Hiring Software Combats Industry Struggles

Every restaurant has its own unique struggles, but everywhere has to deal with various staffing issues. In a highly competitive industry known for high turnover, an understaffed restaurant is doomed. Unannounced exits and no-shows leave your staff shorthanded and deep in the weeds. If your staffing problems seem tougher than extinguishing a grease fire, then you may just need better tools—like restaurant hiring software. 

Effective and easy-to-use HR software boosts retention and streamlines the most tedious managerial tasks, including the hiring process. Upgrade your HR technology to include better restaurant hiring software to ensure your hiring process is Michelin star-rated.

The Restaurant Hiring Struggle: A Recipe for Disaster

It’s hard to keep restaurants fully staffed. The industry-wide problem has several key ingredients:

High Turnover Rates: Turnover in restaurants is finally back to pre-pandemic levels. Even so, “business as usual” has always meant high turnover in food service.

Competitive Market: Even your best cooks and servers can jump ship anytime. You are not just competing for customers–you’re also competing for staff.

Labor Shortage: Many food service workers were forced to find new careers during the pandemic—and many have not returned, particularly in full-service and buffet-style restaurants.

Seasonal Fluctuations: Many restaurants are busier in the summer or during holidays when seasonal workers are more available. Short-term workers still need to be hired, onboarded, and trained.

Time-Consuming Recruitment: You can’t always just place a “help wanted” sign in the window. Job listings, resumes, and interviews all take time away from running the restaurant.

Ineffective Applicant Tracking: Ever lost an email or found important messages in the spam folder? Your choice of ATS can make your hiring process more efficient or wildly dysfunctional.

Poor Onboarding Process: You (hopefully) know better than to use the same onboarding process from the ‘90s. Elevate your onboarding experience with better onboarding software.

Satisfy the Hunger with Restaurant Hiring Software

Like a growling stomach, your staffing issues demand time and attention. Don’t let recruiting and hiring problems starve your restaurant. Restaurant hiring software should be able to cook up several solutions for recruitment:

Automated Job Postings

There’s no benefit to slow and inefficient job postings. Let your software quickly broadcast the details about openings.

Customizable Hiring Templates

You don’t want to be too generic (or unnecessarily complicated). Make sure you ask the right questions. Highlight the must-haves for each position at your restaurant.

Efficient Applicant Screening and Management

Electronic applications are easily sorted by criteria like years of experience. Quickly schedule interviews with the push of a button.

Enhanced Interview Assessments

Use restaurant hiring software to help stay organized and follow best practices for interviews. Pre-screening questions collect important details about candidates. Track answers during the interview using software to objectively compare candidates.

Improved Candidate Experience

Nobody enjoys having their time wasted. Automation makes it easier to quickly sort and evaluate applicants. Clear, quick messages and prompt scheduling set the tone. What should new hires expect from your restaurant as an employer?

Reduced Administrative Burden

Unlike the lunch rush, paperwork never ends. Restaurant HR software automates the most tedious, repetitive tasks. Streamline payroll, scheduling, and onboarding.

Comprehensive Onboarding & Training

Use an LMS for onboarding to close skill gaps, giving everyone 24/7 access to essential training materials. Training videos let workers view familiar material and repeat new information.

Compliance Assurance

Avoid costly fines and liability with software that includes built-in compliance features. Missed paperwork deadlines and wage violations are preventable headaches.

The Complete HR Kitchen: HR Tools Your Restaurant Needs

Without the right knives and spatulas, your back of house staff can’t keep up with orders. When you’re shopping for restaurant hiring software for your restaurant, it needs all the right tools and features.

• Comprehensive Recruitment Tools

You can’t fill openings without attracting, comparing, and hiring new workers. An ATS keeps track of resumes and streamlines the interview and selection process.

• Integrated HR Management

In the digital era, there’s no reason for closely related systems like scheduling and timekeeping to be separate from payroll. Save time and prevent human errors with integrated software.

• Automated Onboarding

The benefits of combining your restaurant hiring software and onboarding is immeasurable. Automate the most repetitive parts of the onboarding process.

• Employee Self-Service Portal

Staff will feel empowered when they can access pay stubs, schedules, tax info, and more through an employee portal. 

• Easy Scheduling

Use drag-and-drop schedule builders with automatic alerts for overtime and other conflicts. Make sure that shifts are covered, taking different roles and skills into consideration.

• Performance Management

Set, track, and measure employee goals with real-time software. HR software lets you focus on real performance metrics, not managers playing favorites.

• Employee Experience

Simple tools like employee recognition and kudos boost engagement and morale. Find HR software that helps you celebrate and encourage individual workers.

Discover how Netchex can help improve your recruiting and hiring processes with industry-specific restaurant hiring software: