9 Things to Avoid in Restaurant Hiring Episode 79

Hiring in any business is a challenge, but the restaurant and hospitality industries are especially hard. There isn’t an entrepreneur who hasn’t been duped by a smooth-talking go-getter, a server who says they have experience, or that manager with chain experience who you think is going to take your restaurant to the next level. It happens to the best of us! How can you limit those hires?

Tune into this episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, and learn nine things to avoid in restaurant hiring from Matt Plapp, restaurant marketer extraordinaire. Plapp is a serial entrepreneur. Among his businesses he is the owner of America’s Best Restaurants, a restaurant marketing firm with clients nationwide. Listen in as Plapp and I talk about how he learned the hard way the nine lessons to avoid making a hiring mistake. He has some great examples of how he’s had to learn these lessons. This is a must listen for any entrepreneur, but especially restaurant owners.

Plapp and I talk all the time and the reason I brought him on for this episode is because of a Facebook post he put out there. It was everywhere, even in my private Facebook group for restaurant owners. Essentially he had more turnover in 60 days than he’d had in the past 15 years combined. I thought it was really profound in today's day and age when everybody feels like they're short-staffed, and they’re making bad hiring decisions because they just need a warm body.

Plapp is really clear on his vision and company culture, so goes he out of his way to make sure somebody matches the company culture. But sometimes it takes a few setbacks to go back to the drawing board and review what you know and what you need to learn.

He joined me to review those swings and misses and share the 9 things to do to avoid making bad hiring decisions.

1. If they look too good to be true, they are. Just like an expensive car priced way too low, there’s a problem hidden beneath.
2. Don’t get beer goggles, use GOOGLE! Do the research.
3. Listen to others you trust. When someone you trust inside your organization gives you proof of issues, pull of the band aid and MOVE ON asap from that new hire.
4. Piggy backing on #3, have other people in the company interview them and see if they pass the snuff test.
5. Read deep into the past work history. One of our recent hires had the skills and jobs at some really impressive brands, which were jobs they LOST.
6. Trust your gut and always hold everyone up to your core values.
7. Be wary of the person who is way too gung ho. It’s kind of like the guy who’s always posting his affection for his wife online and ends having two girlfriends on the side.
8. Aim to hire by referral one. Our best hires have come from high level referrals from employees and friends.
9. People who know your brand and journey really well are amazing finds. Many times they aren’t concerned with what position they get hired for because they want to be a part of the journey.

Learn more about Plapp and his restaurant marketing business here.

Click the podcast player above to listen in, or you can watch the video on YouTube, click here to download the latest episode.