Did you know 51% of restaurateurs ranked hiring staff as their number one challenge? Furthermore, turnover in the restaurant industry is at an all time high, at 75%. When you manage a restaurant or bar change is constant and anticipating the number of workers you may need during any given week to meet demand can present a real challenge, especially as we see a huge spike in online ordering and a new focus on safety. As business picks up, your employees may feel pressure, overworked and overall unhappy, resulting in inefficient operations, higher turnover rates, and less revenue for your company.
We’re here to tell you there’s a better way. By leveraging temporary labor, you can supplement, fill and cover your FOH and BOH shifts as demand for your food service business fluctuates.
What are Gig workers?
Gig workers are temporary laborers you can hire on-demand. Whether you need a dishwasher or an experienced server, you can use temporary workers to cover open shifts (even same day) if someone calls out sick, can’t make it in or you need extra hands to meet demand.
What are the benefits of hiring last-minute labor?
You never want to hire more employees than you anticipate needing. Since you likely have a good idea of how many employees you need to have on staff to cover a typical week, hiring additional full-time employees to meet your changing business demands doesn’t always make sense. Instead, consider hiring temporary workers who will only work the jobs you need them to.
Aside from the cost-savings benefits that accompany hiring temporary restaurant staff over full-time employees (hiring a new restaurant employee can cost up to $2000!), hiring workers on-demand can help you complete more orders and leave customers happy, generating more revenue for your restaurant.
Temporary workers can also be added and removed based on local guidelines during the pandemic. Since you likely experience increased demand for restaurant staff based on a variety of factors like the time of year, or currently because of COVID-19, you can utilize temporary workers to quickly scale your workforce as those variables change.
Dallas-based, Your Way Café, restaurant and catering company is adapting to COVID by staffing on the fly and bouncing back by easily hiring workers with GigSmart.
How do I decide who to hire?
You have the ability to vet your applicants based on ability and qualifications. It’s important to make sure your temporary workers understand the guidelines they must follow when working your gig. Whether it’s what equipment or tools they’re expected to know how to use, their dress, or customer service specifics, you need to make them aware of your expectations so they feel prepared for the job and you receive efficient work. Here’s an example of a detailed gig description for a server position:
Responsibilities:
- Prepare restaurant tables with special attention to sanitation and order
- Attend to customers upon entrance
- Present restaurant menus and help customers select food/beverages
- Take and serve orders
- Answer questions or make recommendations for complementary products
- Collaborate with other restaurant servers and kitchen/bar staff
- Deal with complaints or problems with a positive attitude
- Issue bills and accept payment
Requirements:
- Proven restaurant serving or waitering experience
- Hands-on experience in cashier duties
- Attention to cleanliness and safety
- Patience and customer-oriented approach
- Excellent people skills with a friendly attitude
- Responsible and trustworthy
Training temporary restaurant staff
Once you’ve hired a qualified, temporary restaurant team member, it is time to properly train them. Preparing temporary workers for restaurant gigs can seem like a daunting task. Investing time into training will make workers more efficient, less likely to be injured on the job, and more likely work future gigs for you. The following include areas you should cover in your restaurant worker training:
- Provide general ergonomics training and task-specific training to temporary workers to maximize their time.
- Be sure your candidate is aware of FDA regulations so they can be in compliance with the requirements.
- Include safe lifting advice, and any other recommendations to prevent physical injury.
- Incorporate industry guidelines, OSHA requirements, and state/ local regulations that apply to the gig into training to help avoid injury and citations.
- Review basic industry language to familiarize the worker with terms used on the job for clear communication.
- Demonstrate tasks you expect the worker to perform during their shift.
- Educate your workers on company safety measures and procedures.
- Cover information specific to your company or anything else that will help them successfully complete the gig.
For the same reasons, it’s important to make your temporary workers aware of your expectations, and it’s crucial to advise them of what the consequences will be should they not meet those expectations. Make sure you are transparent with them and aligned on what to do and what not to do to prevent confusion on the worksite. With everything clearly laid out, who knows, you might just find a temporary worker you want to hire over and over again.
Where can I find last-minute skilled workers?
It can be difficult to find qualified last-minute, temporary restaurant staff, but GigSmart makes it easy. If you’re a business that offers food and beverage services, you can find and hire all restaurant staff with Get Workers.
If your needs are immediate, you can find qualified, temporary labor in less than an hour or you can hire up to 30 days in advance. All GigSmart workers are insured at no additional cost to you, and you can even require background and motor vehicle checks prior to working your gig and operating equipment. Lastly, you set workers hourly rate, and GigSmart takes care of the payment — without the additional paperwork and overhead that accompanies hiring W-2 employees.
Ready for a low-stress way to find your next FOH and BOH restaurant staff? Create a free gig on Get Workers today.