Every week we comb through the news to find employment trends affecting the hospitality industry so you don’t have to. This week’s topic: how QSR’s can use staffing firms to grow their business.
How QSR’s Can Use Staffing Firms to Their Advantage
QSR’s, known more often as quick-service or fast-food restaurants, have been a mainstay in American culture for 100 years since the opening of the first White Castle in 1921. In more recent news, these low-contact establishments have been making headlines as more people turned to them during the pandemic for an inexpensive meal in lieu of dine-in restaurants being closed.
You might not realize how QSR’s can use staffing firms to their advantage because people don’t often think of the two together. Because of their popularity as of late, QSR’s are some of the only venues continuing to hire in the foodservice and hospitality industries at a time when tens of thousands have been laid off. Even though the talent pool is saturated, handling the hiring process while juggling the demands of the pandemic can be challenging and lead to bad hiring decisions or worse – gaps in coverage on your team. In order to assess whether you could use assistance with your hiring efforts, ask yourself the following:
- Do I have the time needed to spend on recruiting and interviewing?
- Can I keep up with the surge in demand caused by the pandemic?
- Am I happy with my current team/hiring efforts?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above questions, it might be time to reevaluate how your restaurant handles hiring. One option to consider is partnering with a staffing agency like LGC that can assist with hiring-related processes. Below we’ll cover how QSR’s can use staffing firms to their advantage.
Reduce turnover
Turnover refers to the rate at which employees leave their jobs, and it’s widely known that the restaurant industry experiences high turnover due to its demanding nature. The National Restaurant Association estimates that in 2019, turnover was approximately 75%. Because employees leave their jobs more, restaurant managers are likely spending more time and money on hiring to account for the losses.
When partnering with LGC, we have the time and resources it takes to fully screen and interview candidates to ensure they’re in it for the long haul. Two of our staffing solutions, permanent placement and temp-to-hire, are great options for reducing turnover because:
- Temp-to-hire allows our client to work with a candidate for a period of time before making them a full-time employee.
- Permanent placement is contingent based, meaning clients only pay if they hire a candidate. Plus, there’s a guarantee window that allows for a client to either not hire or replace the current candidate.
The point of both these options is to give our clients the opportunity to get to know the candidate before fully committing. Not only is their technical experience important, but also how they interact with other employees and fit in with the company culture.
Hire management level employees
One of the hardest parts of hiring is seeking management or executive level employees. Typically these candidates have various requirements and are often passive job seekers, meaning someone (or something) has to entice them into a new role. Conducting a management level search is time-consuming and can cost more in advertising – which is why LGC handles those aspects of the hiring process. We’ll also conduct preliminary screening that way the candidate is ready for the final interview stage once they reach you.
Save time
Advertising, recruiting, screening: all these tasks in the hiring process are necessary, but time-consuming. And if you plan on interviewing more than one person, it can take that much longer. Most QSR’s don’t have an HR person on site, leaving it up to the managers to communicate their needs and hiring decisions. With LGC handling these processes, you’ll save time (and often money) while we prepare candidates for you to review.
Account for gaps in coverage
We understand the impact of a missing team member and how it can affect daily operations. It’s especially noticeable during the pandemic, where a call off or no call no show can prevent you from serving customers in a timely fashion. The last thing you want is to lose business when all you needed was an extra hand. By having a staffing partner like LGC on-call, you can fill gaps on your team with temporary workers who are eager to help. In fact, we have staffing software that was designed specifically to account for short term absences or those situations where you need an extra hand, called LGC Now. Using, LGC Now, clients can:
- Request workers right when they’re needed to eliminate gaps in coverage.
- Manage time sheets and events through an easy-to-use smart phone app that provides real time updates.
- “All-star” your favorite workers so they can return.
For years, QSR’s have been providing fast and inexpensive food options across the world, and it’s clear that this isn’t going to change any time soon. In fact, some quick service restaurants have begun expanding their offerings to be more inclusive of those with dietary restrictions like vegans or vegetarians. With so many competitors, you don’t want to fall behind –– and the best way to do that is to ensure you have a great team on your side.
Contact LGC today to learn how QSR’s can use staffing firms to their advantage and what LGC services will be useful to you.