Restaurant Hiring, Onboarding, and Training Playbook

A best practices guide to help NYC restaurants improve employee retention.

This Playbook provides strategies and tools that any restaurant (or other foodservice business) operator can use to create a more supportive and productive experience for your new hires resulting in higher retention rates. By taking a more intentional approach to hiring, onboarding, and training, your new hires will feel more welcome, confident, and able to succeed. Every step matters in this process!

Take time to go through the entire Playbook, or review the topics most relevant to you and your business as needed. Additional details and suggestions are available through reference links in each section. We hope you find this Playbook useful in developing a loyal team of dedicated employees.

Overview

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Introduction

The information contained in this playbook includes more than two years of key learnings from the onboarding and training of more than 200 New Yorkers as restaurant cooks, in partnership with more than 75 NYC restaurants through the city’s First Course NYC training, as well as decades of combined experience in NYC restaurants.

This content was developed by the Food & Beverage Industry Partnership team at NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and Empowered Hospitality – a NYC-based HR & talent consultancy specializing in the hospitality industry.

How to Use the Playbook

First, take a moment to assess your restaurant’s challenges. Ask yourself…

For any new hires from the last 3 months

How long did they stay?
Why were they a good fit or not a good fit for the team?
What went well and what felt challenging for the team?

Dig into those answers further to find the source of any opportunities

Are we finding talent that works well with our team?
Do our candidates feel welcome when they join our company?
Do new hires stay longer than 60-90 days?

Explore the tools, templates, tips, and best practices in each section of the playbook to help you hire, onboard, and train to retain your best employees. These editable tools, templates, and worksheets can be downloaded using the links provided throughout the Playbook and incorporated into your own processes.

Disclaimer

This is not a substitute for legal or other professional advice. All compliance and regulatory information included in this guide is accurate and effective as of the publishing date. Please consult an attorney for updated information and advice.