How to Attract Top Quality Restaurant Talent: A Culture of Safety is Your Secret Weapon

In the post-pandemic world, safety is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. 

This is especially true at restaurants, where hygiene standards have direct impacts on public health. 

But while it’s easy to nod along and agree that safety is crucial, are restaurants actually changing their policies to create a culture of safety from the ground up? 

You might be surprised to learn that a whopping 79% of restaurant workers lack paid time off. 

Because of this, 51% of food service employees continue to go to work while sick, unable to afford taking time off. 

The trickle down effect eventually impacts your guest experience. Studies report that 40% of foodborne illness outbreaks are traceable to sick workers. 

At the end of the day, safety should be your restaurant’s number one priority – for both guests AND employees. 

Today, we’ll dive into 3 ways to create a culture of safety at your hospitality business. If leveraged properly, safety can be a key tool to attracting a higher volume of quality restaurant talent, lowering turnover rates, and ultimately boosting your bottom line. 

1/ Evaluate how safety falls into your employer brand

Top talent knows their worth. And they won’t settle for an employer that doesn’t know it too. 

If you’re struggling to attract the volume of candidates that you need in order to keep your business running, start by considering how safety falls into your employer branding. 

Ask yourself the following questions: 

• What health benefits am I offering to hourly employees? What is my organization’s policy on PTO and sick days? 
• Am I clearly expressing these benefits and policies in my job description? 
• How am I conducting the hiring process? Am I creating feedback loops and making space for applicants to ask questions? Am I responding in a timely manner? 

These questions will clarify how to move forward in building a culture of safety to attract top talent. 

2/ Clearly list benefits in job descriptions & outreach 

Here’s some food for thought: Hourly job applicants submit an average of 14+ job applications in one sitting. 

To grab their attention, you’ll have to be extra clear in your job description. 

Highlighting healthcare and safety benefits is a great way to stay ahead of the hiring competition. This also makes you particularly attractive to Millennial and Gen Z applicants. 

Studies show that Gen Z applicants care most strongly about healthcare, a great working environment, and flexibility. 

Similarly, Millennial applicants care most strongly about employer branding, work-life balance, and healthcare. Additionally, 28% of Millennials would turn down a job offer with poor PTO. 

Given that these two populations make up more than 70% of the current restaurant workforce, it’s crucial to highlight what they care about. 

Another area where you can highlight health and safety benefits is in your candidate outreach. Here are some real-life examples used by LANDED clients to secure top quality talent: 

Hey [First Name], I'm hiring for [Your Brand’s] Cashier role! You'll join a high-energy team passionate about providing [Mission Statement]. Benefits include PTO and healthcare. Interviews are this week, and we'd love to meet you! 

This message does a great job of highlighting benefits, expressing the mission of your brand, and keeping it short and sweet. 

Check it out in practice: 

Hey Alicia, I'm hiring for Company ABC’s Cashier role! You'll join a high-energy team passionate about providing exceptional organic products and protecting the health of our community and our planet. Benefits include PTO and healthcare. Interviews are this week, and we'd love to meet you.

3/ Create applicant feedback loops 

Communication is a key component of the hiring process, and it’s also a great opportunity to cement your employer brand as one that cares about the health and safety of the applicant. 

Make sure to leave space during the interview process for applicants to ask questions, whether in-person or via text. Reiterating any benefits that you might offer as you near the end of the application process is also a great way to boost morale. 

Safety takes on many forms. Yes, hygiene is a critical factor in restaurant operations, but what about a culture where employees feel safe? 

As LANDED’s CEO, Vivian Wang, shares:

“It’s so important to build trust with applicants through close and constant communication, and foster an environment where candidates feel comfortable asking questions. Make sure that you provide a timely response to inquiries. When candidates have questions about wellbeing, make sure you follow up quickly. You might use tools like AI to do this, or have someone on your team whose responsibility it is to respond to inquiries.” 

At the end of the day, a culture of safety goes beyond the facts and figures. It’s about creating an environment where team members feel taken care of and feel that their voices matter. And with many of your applicants starting out as guests, it’s crucial to build on this positive experience from the get go. 

Vivian continues:

“You’d never ignore a guest inquiry. It’s the same thing. These candidates are your future employees, the future face of your brand. And they’re probably also your guests. A lot of the time, the people that you’re hiring probably fell in love with your brand first as a guest.” 

One way to facilitate this culture is by making space for an open line of communication between employer and applicant. This can be done via SMS or email – whichever way you choose, make sure to stay on top of communication. After all, nobody likes to be left on read. 

Conclusion

Creating a culture of safety within your organization is a key way to attract top talent and maintain a high quality guest experience. 

If you’d like to learn more about this topic, check out our webinar with Vivian Wang (CEO, LANDED), Christine Schindler (CEO, PathSpot), and Deric Rosenbaum (President, Groucho’s Deli), where they dive into an interactive conversation about safety in restaurant operations. 

If you’re ready to create a hiring process that prioritizes safety, our team is here to help. 

LANDED’s conversational AI responds to candidate inquiries immediately with customized chat flows. It seamlessly integrates with your ATS/HRIS systems, vetting through candidates while fielding their questions – and saving your Hiring Managers hours of manual admin work. 

Plus, our 24/7 Client Strategists works with your Talent Acquisition team to audit your existing hiring process and implement best practices to create a culture of safety. Whether it’s ensuring that candidates have a certain food handler’s license or helping to create job descriptions that highlight health and safety benefits, our team is here to help. 

Click here to learn more about LANDED and join the 500+ industry leading brands who are leveling up their hiring process and putting safety at the forefront.