One of the main problems that owners in the bar and gastrobar business face is hiring and retaining efficient staff.
High worker turnover in nightlife venues is a major challenge for managers. This factor is one of the reasons why it's so hard to keep service standards consistent.
Since the team changes so quickly, there isn't always enough time to properly train the new hire coming in. Bear in mind that most of them may have no experience at all. In many cases, these employees work in another field during the day and see the bar or gastrobar as a way to supplement their income.
The most successful venues, the ones with quality service, are usually those that manage to retain the best employees. These professionals are trained regularly and receive the best working conditions, pay and bonuses, which builds strong ties between the worker and the employer.
O business owner knows that to keep good professionals you have to invest in them, but also knows that it will pay off and that this investment is worth every cent. To retain a good employee, you need to offer:
- Salaries in line with the role and payment on time;
- Promoting good workers with career growth through job and salary policies;
- Recognition of effort with awards and benefits.
Leia também: Find out which professionals work in a bar and what each one does
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What is the main problem when hiring?
What kind of employee do you need? What's the ideal profile? Once you're clear on the answers to these questions, it's time to get out there and dig up that talent.
O right employee is the one who aligns with your business's values, who genuinely feels part of the venue. They need to accept and understand that training has to happen and that learning will only bring growth, both as a professional and as a person.
In a simple conversation, an experienced business owner can already tell whether a candidate deserves a shot. Often, someone with no experience is far more worth hiring than someone who brings extensive experience but also carries values and habits that don't fit the reality of your business.
The big problem is that most candidates for waiter positions at a bar or gastrobar already arrive with the idea that this isn't a job to commit to, build a career in, grow professionally, seek specialization and training. Mas como algo provisório ou extra, por isso que a rotatividade é tão grande neste setor. Já para cargos de chef ou mesmo gerente, os candidatos já vêm com a qualificação exigida no momento da abertura da vaga e com pretensões mais relevantes.
How to advertise the openings?
Even though the hierarchy follows the same principles across every business in the entertainment and food service industry, the number of professionals needed to fill each role depends on the size and the demand of the operation.
The roles that usually make up a functional team for a bar or gastrobar are: manager, head chef, waiters, service staff and cashier. In specific cases there may also be delivery drivers, a host and a sommelier.
When posting a job opening, the text needs to be clear and carry the information the candidate needs to know, leaving no doubts. Doing this professionally already shows the seriousness and the level of your operation. This ad should run on serious communication channels, as well as on the company's social media. Another way to find good talent is through referrals from your own employees, since they know someone interested in the position and can recommend people who are likely to fit in at your establishment.
Leia também: How to deal with a lack of engagement among your staff?
Turn the interview into a conversation
Of course, at first you need to ask the questions relevant to the role, review the résumé, the experience, previous jobs, why they left their last position, among other points.
But once that first stage is over, if you sense the candidate could become an employee, stretch the conversation out, ask less formal questions, open up space for them to feel more at ease. That way you'll get to know an even more interesting side of the candidate as a person and draw out the best information, which will be decisive in whether or not you make the hire.
I've made the hires — what now?
Once you've filled out your staff, what's the first step? Every owner of a food service and entertainment establishment should, first and foremost, train their team, as well as offer the best working conditions.
Professional training is a very important step and needs to include introducing the team to your company culture, your customer profile, how you want everyone to be served and what sets your business apart.
It's a good idea to hire a professional with both theoretical and hands-on knowledge of the day-to-day — or night-to-night — of a bar or gastrobar, whose job will be to guide and train the team according to the personality of the venue. And don't forget: quality, standardization and excellence in service come first.
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