Cafes are valued not only as a place to drink a cup of delicious coffee with snacks and sweets. Many people prefer to meet friends or conduct business negotiations in a cozy cafe environment. However, competition in the catering industry is quite high. How to make your cafe selected from many other similar establishments? The secret lies in creating such a perfect team that the service and the very atmosphere of the place will encourage customers to visit it again and again.
Determine Your Staffing Needs
Recruitment begins with the development of a business plan. It should include the following points:
- Accurate calculations on the number of required personnel. Consider not only how many employees should be for impeccable service but also what resources the business has to pay competitive salaries.
- A list of criteria that employees must meet. This item includes requirements for their qualifications, work experience, compliance with the values and culture of your cafe, and other things.
What Is the Right Number of Employees?
When calculating the optimal number of service personnel, consider the following factors:
- How many hours a day will the cafe be open?
- How many visitors on average and during peak hours do you expect?
- How varied will be the menu proposed to customers?
- Will you serve tables or only counter?
Find Candidates
When goals are defined and priorities are set, you can proceed to the search for candidates. To do this, it is best to use the maximum number of search channels:
- Job boards
- Personal contacts
- Social media
- Referrals
- Ads
A broad search will provide access to a larger target audience, which means you will have a choice. In this case, random people will not get into the personnel. You will have the opportunity to select really worthy ones!
Assess Candidates’ Skills and Experience
Each cafe independently determines the requirements for the previous work experience of candidates. However, hiring only on the basis of papers or letters of recommendation would be short-sighted. Applicants must demonstrate their skills in real circumstances:
- Ask them to prepare different types of coffee drinks or some other dish if the cafe offers a wide menu.
- Ask to serve several clients. At the same time, try to create a situation with difficult customers, who are not very easy to please. See how resourceful candidates will be in atypical situations.
- Evaluate their skills in working with a POS system that will help with processing orders and accepting payments. Find out more details on how to use this application to improve customer service and avoid mistakes when fulfilling orders and accepting payments
Evaluate Candidates’ Personality and Work Ethics
Ideal practical skills are a necessary but not sufficient condition for employment. Equally essential components are the following:
- Ability to work in a team
- Withstanding work pressure in busy hours
- Reliability and honesty
- Sociability, and more
To assess the personality traits of candidates, use psychometric tests and in-depth interviews, and do not hesitate to ask previous employers. It is also useful to look at the candidates’ personal pages on social networks to find out their values and hobbies.
Make an Offer and Onboard New Employees
After the list of ideal employees is formed, it remains to implement an equally significant task. Good employees need to be paid a competitive salary and receive other social benefits. To find out the level of claims of employees, ask them in advance what salary they expect. In this case, you will insure yourself that, after working for a short time, a candidate decides to leave, and you will have to start the search all over again. Meet individually with each employee to outline the duties, salary, and prospects for career growth.
The Necessity of Onboarding
If all the working conditions suit the selected candidates, proceed to the onboarding program. In the process of onboarding, it is better to give not only personal but also team tasks. In this case, new employees will quickly become friends and find mutual understanding. And you will get an excellent team that will be able to work harmoniously and please visitors with their exceptional qualities.
Conclusion
The atmosphere in the cafe and the effectiveness of the staff largely depend on the relationships that develop in the process of work. By approaching the task of hiring staff creatively and responsibly, you will bring together people who are interested in working with each other. Everyone will benefit from this approach: visitors, former employees of the cafe, and the business itself!
