How to hire restaurant staff: job ads, interviews and trial shifts

To hire restaurant staff well, decide exactly what the role needs before you write the ad, post it where hospitality people actually look, reply to applicants fast, interview with real service scenarios rather than generic questions, and run a short paid trial shift before you make an offer. Then put the offer in writing and check right-to-work and contract rules where you operate.

Quick answer

• Write a one-page role brief first: tasks, shifts, pay, must-have skills and what you will train.
• Use the job title people search for, show the shifts honestly and state the pay or a range where you can.
• Post on your own channels, ask your team for referrals, and use the job boards and groups candidates in your market use.
• Screen within a day or two with a ten-minute call, then interview everyone with the same questions and score them.
• Run a short, paid, supervised trial shift and decide within 48 hours.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Employment law differs by country, and often by state or city, so check the rules where you operate with an official source or a qualified adviser. This article does not contain affiliate links.

What should you decide before you post a job ad?

Most hiring problems start before the ad goes live. If you are not clear on what the job is, you will attract the wrong people and judge them against a moving target. Spend twenty minutes on a short role brief and share it with whoever else will interview.

• The job title and level. Commis chef, line cook, chef de partie, server, runner, bartender, barista, host, kitchen porter, supervisor. Pick the term candidates in your market use.
• The shifts. Days, hours, weekends, late finishes, split shifts and how far ahead the rota is published.
• The pay. Hourly rate or salary, how tips or service charge are shared, overtime, staff meals and any other benefits you actually provide.
• Must-haves versus trainable. A server can learn your menu. Someone who dislikes talking to strangers will struggle however good the training is.
• Who decides, and by when. Name the interviewers and set a target start date.
• The budget. Check the new hours fit your labour plan before you commit. The labour cost percentage guide and calculator shows how a new role moves the number, and the running costs and break-even calculator shows what it does to the sales you need each month.

How do you write a restaurant job ad that gets the right applicants?

A good job ad answers the questions a candidate would otherwise ask on the phone. Put the useful facts first and keep the adjectives for later.

1. Title and place: “Line cook, full-time, Sukhumvit” is better than “Kitchen superstar wanted”.
2. What the restaurant is: one or two sentences on the food, the style of service and the size of the team.
3. The shifts: typical days and hours, weekends and closing times. Being honest here saves you interviews with people who cannot work them.
4. The pay: a figure or a range, and how tips or service charge work. Some places now require pay information in job ads, so check the rules where you hire.
5. What the job involves: five or six real tasks, not a list of personality traits.
6. What you need: the few true must-haves, such as experience on a grill section or the languages your guests speak.
7. What you offer: training, staff meals, a published rota, a path to the next role. Only list what is true.
8. How to apply and when you will reply: one simple route, such as a short form, an email or a message, and a promise you will keep.

Leave out requirements about age, gender, nationality, religion, marital status or looks. In many countries they are unlawful in job ads and hiring decisions, and even where such ads are common they shrink your pool and screen out good people for no reason connected to the work.

Where should you post restaurant jobs?

Use more than one channel, and start with the cheapest ones that reach people who already know your restaurant.

• Your own team. Ask staff who they would like to work with. If you pay a referral bonus, pay it after the new hire passes probation.
• Your own channels. A careers page or section on your website, your social accounts, and a clear sign in the window or at the till.
• Hospitality and culinary schools. Good for trainee and junior roles, and for internships run under the school’s rules.
• Job boards. General boards and hospitality-specific ones. National boards matter: in Thailand, for example, there are local job sites such as JobThai and JobsDB, and some restaurants also post in local Facebook or LINE groups.
• Professional networks. LinkedIn is more useful for managers, head chefs and multi-site roles than for hourly positions.
• Your regular guests. People who already like your restaurant sometimes want to work in it. A line on the menu or the bill costs nothing.

Track where each applicant came from. After a few hires you will know which channels bring people who stay.

How do you screen applicants quickly?

Hospitality candidates often have several options, so speed matters. Reply to every application within a day or two, even if the answer is no. For promising applicants, a ten-minute phone or video call covers the basics before anyone travels to see you:

• Can you work the shifts in the ad, including weekends and late finishes?
• What pay are you looking for, and when could you start?
• Do you have the right to work here? (Ask every candidate the same way.)
• How would you get to work for a late close?

If the answers fit, invite them to an interview at a quiet time of day, not during service.

What should you ask in a restaurant interview?

Ask every candidate for the same role the same core questions, take notes, and score each answer from one to five straight after. It makes decisions fairer and easier to explain, and it stops the most confident talker from winning by default.

Question	What a good answer shows
Tell me about your busiest shift. What did you do when it got out of hand?	Calm under pressure, asks for help, keeps standards
A guest says their dish is cold and they are clearly annoyed. What do you do?	Listens, apologises, acts quickly, involves a manager when needed
A guest asks if a dish contains nuts and you are not sure. What do you do?	Never guesses, checks with the kitchen and the allergen record
How do you set up your section before service? (kitchen)	Organised mise en place, labelling, cleaning as they go
What do you check when food arrives from a supplier? (kitchen)	Temperatures, dates, packaging, rejecting what is not right
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague or manager.	Raises issues respectfully and moves on
What would make you leave a job?	Honest expectations you can check against what you offer

Leave time for their questions. What a candidate asks about, such as training, rota or how the team works, often tells you more than their answers.

How do you run a fair trial shift?

A trial shift shows you how someone works, and shows them what the job is really like. Done badly, it is free labour and a poor first impression. Done well, it is the best part of the process.

1. Keep it short. A few hours during a normal service is usually enough to see what you need.
2. Pay for it. Rules on unpaid trials vary and some countries restrict them. Paying for the time is the simple, fair default wherever you are.
3. Explain what you are looking at. Tell the candidate which tasks they will do and what you will assess.
4. Give them a buddy. One named team member looks after them, shows them where things are and gives you feedback.
5. Keep it safe. Supervised tasks only, a quick safety and hygiene briefing first, and suitable shoes and clothing.
6. Debrief for ten minutes. Ask how it felt, what surprised them and what they would want to learn first.
7. Decide within 48 hours. Tell them either way.

What checks and paperwork do you need before someone starts?

Requirements differ from country to country, so use this as a list of things to confirm rather than a legal checklist.

• Right to work. Check every new hire in the same way. Foreign employees usually need a work permit or visa that allows the job; in Thailand, work permits are handled through the Department of Employment.
• A written offer and contract or statement of terms. See staff scheduling, contracts and breaks for what it should cover.
• Payroll and social security registration where it applies. In Thailand, employers register employees with the Social Security Office.
• Health or food-hygiene requirements set by your local authority, such as food handler training or health certificates.
• References, taken with the candidate’s permission and focused on facts: dates, role and whether they would rehire.
• Candidate data. CVs and notes are personal data under privacy laws such as the EU’s GDPR and Thailand’s PDPA. Keep only what you need, store it securely and delete it when you no longer need it.

How do you make an offer people accept?

Call first, then confirm in writing the same day. The written offer should state the role, start date, pay and how tips or service charge work, the usual hours, any probation period, and the details of the first shift: time, entrance, who to ask for, what to wear and what to bring. Then move straight into a proper first week. The restaurant onboarding checklist covers what to prepare.

Frequently asked questions

How long should hiring a restaurant employee take?

Aim to go from application to offer in about a week for hourly roles. Reply to applicants within a day or two, interview within a few days and decide within 48 hours of the trial shift. Good hospitality candidates rarely wait long.

Should trial shifts be paid?

Paying for trial shifts is the safe and fair default. Rules on unpaid trials vary by country and some places restrict them, so check the law where you operate if you are considering anything else.

Where is the best place to post restaurant jobs?

Start with your own team, your website and social accounts and a sign at the restaurant, then add the job boards and groups candidates in your market use, plus hospitality schools for junior roles. Track which channel each hire came from.

What should a restaurant job ad include?

The job title, location, real shifts, the pay or a range, how tips or service charge work, the main tasks, the few true requirements, what you offer and one simple way to apply.

What questions should I ask in a restaurant interview?

Use the same core questions for every candidate: a busy-shift story, a guest complaint scenario, an allergen question, and role-specific questions on setup or service. Score each answer straight after the interview.

Sources

• Department of Employment, Thailand (work permits for foreign employees)
• Social Security Office, Thailand
• Personal Data Protection Committee, Thailand (PDPA)
• US EEOC: prohibited employment practices (an example of hiring discrimination rules)

Related guides

• Restaurant staff onboarding: a first-week plan and checklist
• Restaurant staff scheduling, contracts and breaks: the basics to check
• Labour cost percentage: how to calculate and control it