Restaurant Hiring Tips: How to Hire Better and Faster in a High-Turnover Industry

Let’s be honest: the phrase “we’re hiring” might as well be printed on our aprons at this point.

Turnover is baked into the restaurant world. People come and go for all kinds of reasons—school, burnout, moving, or just straight-up disappearing mid-shift and never texting back. But that doesn’t mean we have to keep hiring like it’s a panic response every time someone ghosts.

If you’re sick of the revolving door, these restaurant hiring tips will help you hire better, hire faster, and build a team that’s more than just a collection of warm bodies on the floor.

After 17 years in the industry, here’s what I know: you can’t eliminate turnover, but you can absolutely hire smarter—and faster with the right approach.

1. Know Who You’re Really Hiring For

Before you even post a job, ask yourself: What kind of person actually thrives in this role, in this specific environment?

Not just “friendly” or “experienced.” Are they fast? Can they read a room? Can they deal with our weird Saturday brunch crowd without losing it when a table asks for four checks?

Once you know what you’re looking for, tailor your interview questions to uncover the stuff that really matters. My go-to’s:

• “What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you recently?”Breaks the ice, lightens the mood, and gives you a glimpse into their personality.

• “How many days have you called out in the past year?”Direct and surprisingly telling.

• The essentials:

  • Do you have reliable transportation?

  • What’s your availability?

  • Are you looking for full-time or part-time?

These aren’t trick questions—they’re filters. You’re trying to figure out if this person is a good fit before you invest time training them.

2. Shorten Your Hiring Funnel (But Keep It Real)

Speed matters. But so does clarity. Here’s what works for me:

• Step 1: Quick phone or text screening to confirm they're real, responsive, and not a nightmare communicator.

• Step 2: In-person interview.A 15–20 minute sit-down to get a read on their energy, confidence, and how they talk about previous jobs.

If they pass those two steps, they’re in—with a catch:

This is a 90-day probationary period.If it’s not working for either of us, we part ways. No drama, no guilt.Hire fast. Fire fast. It keeps the team strong and the standards consistent.

3. Ditch the “We’re a Family” Line

Let’s just say it: we are not a family.

Families are messy, emotional, and often wildly dysfunctional. That’s not what I’m building.

I’m building a high-functioning team—one that communicates clearly, supports each other, shows up on time, and holds one another accountable. That’s how restaurants succeed.

Don’t sell your job as a “second home.” Just make it a place where people are respected, trained well, paid fairly, and supported to grow.

That’s better than family.

4. Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill

This industry isn’t everyone’s career—and that’s okay.

But just because someone’s working part-time while in school doesn’t mean they can’t take the job seriously. There’s a huge difference between a student with strong work ethic and someone just showing up for the paycheck and sneaking out before sidework.

Your job is to spot that difference.

Look for curiosity. Coachability. Situational awareness. You can teach someone to carry three plates or make a perfect cappuccino. You can’t teach them to care.

5. Have a Hiring Bench

Don’t wait until someone walks out mid-shift to start hiring.

Keep a soft list of people you’ve met or who’ve expressed interest. Reconnect with past staff who left on good terms. Stay in touch with that barista who moved but might come back for summer.

Hiring from zero is stressful. Hiring from a shortlist? That’s power.

Barista training workshop

6. Invest in Onboarding (Like You Actually Want Them to Stay)

Too many places treat onboarding like an afterthought:"Here’s the menu, shadow Jess, good luck."And then we’re surprised when the new hire disappears by week two.

At my café, I created a training guide that outlines our systems, standards, and workflows. Whether I’m the one training (which—usually I am) or someone else is, everyone’s on the same page.

I also built a short list of questions each new hire should be able to answer after their first five shifts—like “What’s the proper closing checklist for your station?” or “Where do we log 86’d items?” If they don’t know, we missed something.

A clear, repeatable training process makes your life easier, your team stronger, and your new hire less likely to ghost after three shifts.

7. Treat Hiring Like Marketing

Your job post is an ad. Your interview is a two-way audition. Your restaurant is a brand.

If your place looks disorganized, if no one’s been trained, if your team seems miserable—that will speak louder than anything you say in an interview.

You don’t need to be the coolest café in town. Just be consistent, fair, and functional.

Final Thoughts on Restaurant Hiring Tips

Hiring in this industry will never be easy. But it doesn’t have to feel like a panic attack every time someone quits.

Restaurant management taught me about people and money—and how to hire in a way that respects both.If you get clear about who you need, build a system, and stop hiring out of desperation, you’ll create a team that doesn’t just survive turnover—but actually grows stronger through it.

👉 Want more tips like this? Subscribe to the newsletter or drop your wildest interview story in the comments below.Let’s build better teams, one shift at a time.