Your hiring process shouldn't live in your head
I was working with a GM recently who was getting ready to hire for patio season.
He knew what he wanted. He had a feel for who would fit. He'd done this dozens of times before.
But when I asked him to walk me through his steps, he couldn't.
There was no documented process. No checklist. Nothing he could hand to a future shift lead or AGM and say, "Here's how we hire."
And that's a problem I see constantly with restaurant operators.
You've been doing this so long that the process feels automatic. But "automatic" doesn't transfer. "Automatic" doesn't scale. And "automatic" falls apart the moment you're not the one doing it.
If you're a multi-unit operator and your hiring process only exists in your head, you're the bottleneck.
Every time a manager needs to hire, they're either guessing, asking you, or doing it wrong. That costs you time, money, and good candidates.
If this sounds familiar and you want help building systems that don't depend on you being in the room, let's talk.
What a basic hiring roadmap looks like
You don't need anything fancy. You need something repeatable.
Here's the framework I walk my clients through:
Define the role and hours before you post. Not "we need a server." How many shifts? What days? What does full-time actually mean at your restaurant?
Write a job ad with specifics. Shifts, hours, pay range, requirements. The more clarity upfront, the fewer unqualified applicants you'll waste time on.
Post to the channels that have worked before. Ask your team what's worked historically. Don't just throw it on Instagram and hope.
Screen for availability and experience first. Before you fall in love with someone's personality, make sure they can actually work the shifts you need.
Interview in person when possible. Zoom doesn't give you the full picture. You're hiring for hospitality. See how they show up.
Check references. I know. Nobody does this. Do it anyway.
Set expectations on day one. Availability, scheduling policies, what full-time means, what happens if things change. Say it out loud before it becomes a problem.
Why this matters beyond hiring
This isn't just about filling a position. It's about building a system you can hand off.
When you document your hiring process, you're doing two things:
First, you're protecting yourself. The next time you're slammed and need to delegate hiring to a shift lead, you have something to give them.
Second, you're developing your team. Walking someone through a documented process is how you teach them to think like an operator. That's leadership development in action.
Your hiring process is a system. Treat it like one.
Document it once. Use it forever. Hand it off when you're ready to develop your next leader.
If you're running multiple locations and feel like everything still runs through you, that's not a time problem. It's a systems problem.
We help multi-unit restaurant operators build leadership teams and processes that don't require them to be in the building every day.
Book a call and let's figure out what's keeping you stuck.
P.S.
Here are three ways we can help you right now:
1:1 Coaching -- If you're tired of being the bottleneck in your own business, working harder than anyone on your team, and still not seeing the growth you know is possible, this is for you. We work together to build the systems, leadership, and financial clarity that let you finally step into the CEO role your restaurant needs. Book a call to learn more.
Group Coaching -- If you do your best work when you're surrounded by other operators who get it, this is your room. A small, curated group of independent restaurant owners working through the same challenges, holding each other accountable, and growing faster together than any of us would alone. Book a call to learn more.
Leadership Workshop -- If your leadership team is stuck and you can feel it but can't name exactly where the breakdown is, this workshop surfaces the bottleneck and gives your team a clear path forward. Built for executive teams who are done with guessing and ready to move. Book a call to learn more.
Christin
