Top 9 Websites to Hire Restaurant Staff

Hiring and retaining top talent has been a common stumbling block for restaurants, but the issue has only become worse over the past few years. The industry is grappling with a shortage of skilled workers, which has intensified competition among businesses to attract and hold on to staff. Luckily, restaurant job sites can help. 

When you have a job opening in your venue, the standard practice is to stick an ad in the window and hope for the best. While this method is tried and tested, it’s not always the best way to attract top talent. 

Ensuring your job ad is seen by the right people as quickly as possible is imperative. As with most things, taking your recruitment online is the best way to find and attract the best talent.

To help with your search, we’ve rounded up the nine best websites to hire restaurant staff.

9 websites to hire restaurant staff 

A quick overview if you don’t want to read all the details: 

If you’re struggling to find applicants for your latest job openings, try advertising on one or more of the following restaurant job sites and boards.

1. Indeed
2. Monster
3. Craigslist
4. ZipRecruiter
5. Culinary Agents
6. Good Food Jobs
7. Sirvo
8. Snagajob
9. SimplyHired

We’ll also cover:

• Where to promote your new job opening
• Benefits of using online platforms for hiring
• Tips for creating effective job listings
• Best practices for onboarding staff

1. Indeed

Indeed is one of the biggest job sites in the world, with over 245 million resumes stored on the website and over 350 million monthly visitors. 

While Indeed doesn’t solely focus on recruiting for the hospitality industry, it’s a well-known and popular website for jobseekers in the hospitality industry. 

It’s free to set up an Indeed account and to post a job ad that will appear in general search results. To reach more potential candidates, there’s also an option to promote your job opening for a fee. And according to Indeed, sponsored job ads are 4.5 times more likely to result in a hire.

2. Monster

Monster is a global leader in recruiting and has been connecting employers with candidates for over 25 years.

While Monster doesn’t specialize in recruiting for the hospitality industry, thousands of open hospitality roles are on the site, and venues often use it to recruit staff. Employers can also access job description templates to help craft the perfect job ad. 

Pricing for a single job ad starts at $299/mo; however, if you’re a new customer and have never advertised on the site before, you can opt for a free trial. There are also other price options available if you’d like to post more than one ad, these range from $399/mo – $649/mo. 

3. Craigslist

Craigslist is an advertising website where users can post anything from job ads to services, items for sale and housing ads.

The website is particularly popular for small local businesses searching for restaurant staff, as it’s quick and easy to post an ad and often cheaper than some of the bigger job boards.  

It costs between $10-$75 to post a job ad on Craigslist in the USA and selected areas in Canada. The fee varies depending on which area you’re posting the job ad from.

4. ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter is one of the biggest recruiting websites in the US, and four out of five employers who post an ad get a quality candidate within the first day.

The company specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses connect with qualified candidates, so you can fill your open roles as quickly as possible.

It’s free to create an account and post a job ad with ZipRecruiter. There are also paid plans available to help boost your job ads to the right audience, and with a paid plan, your job ad will also be pushed to over 100 other job websites within the ZipRecruiter network.

5. Culinary Agents

Culinary Agents is a specialist recruitment website for the hospitality industry in the US.

With a community of over 1.7 million members, Culinary Agents makes it quick and easy to connect hospitality businesses with top talent. The site also has a resources hub that contains everything from industry data to best practice tips for recruiting. 

It costs $49 to post one basic job ad, $46 if you purchase 5 ads or $44 if you purchase a pack of 10 job ads. You can also opt for the $100/mo subscription if you’re looking to recruit on a regular basis. 

6. Good Food Jobs

Good Food Jobs is another specialist job website that helps businesses in the hospitality industry connect with the best job seekers.

With over 161,000 active users, Good Food Jobs is a great network to tap into if you’re on the hunt to hire new restaurant staff. 

Pricing for job ads starts at $69, and your ad will be live for 6 days. You can also buy in bulk to save money–packages for 5 job ads cost $320, 10 ads will cost $590, and a monthly subscription is $150. 

7. Sirvo

Sirvo specializes in recruiting for jobs in the service industries, with a specific focus on restaurant and retail roles.

The site is also an official Indeed partner, and all job ads posted on the Sirvo website are automatically pushed to the Indeed network for wider reach. 

It also offers lots of flexible pricing options to suit every business. One stand-alone job ad costs $40 and will be live on the site for 30 days. If you’re a multi-site operation, then there are subscription packages available to manage all your recruiting from one place. Subscriptions start from $110 for one location.

8. Snagajob

Snagajob is a job website that specializes in advertising roles that pay by the hour. This is a great resource for restaurants that are looking to hire staff that aren’t always salaried, such as bartenders and servers.  

With over 3.6 million monthly active jobseekers, Snagajob is America’s largest marketplace for hourly workers. It’s also possible to find staff to cover shifts on Snagajob rather than recruiting for a specific role.

Pricing starts from $89/mo for basic job ads and shift covers.

9. SimplyHired

SimplyHired is a free job search board that caters to a wide range of industries, including the restaurant sector. With its user-friendly interface and extensive database of job listings, SimplyHired.com is an efficient platform for restaurants to find qualified staff.

The site provides access to a diverse talent pool, making it easier for restaurants to fill various roles, from kitchen staff to managerial positions. The platform also offers features for employers to promote job openings and attract top talent.

So why is it free? They’ve actually partnered with Indeed, meaning any SimplyHired user can post free job ads on Indeed. 

Where to promote your new job opening

Once you’ve decided which restaurant job sites best fit your job opening, the next step is to promote your ad far and wide.

• Social media – post your job ad on all your social media channels, with a short description of the role you are hiring for and a link to the ad so people can easily apply.
• In-venue – pop a small ad in your window advertising your job and where candidates can apply. You could also include a QR code with a direct link to your ad, so people can scan it to learn more and apply.
• Email – send an email blast out to your customers saying you’re hiring – you never know who might be looking for work, and your customers will already be familiar with your venue and what you do. Don’t forget to include a brief outline of the open role(s) and links to the job ad.
• Staff referrals – ask your team to refer any friends and family they think might be suitable for the role. You could also include an incentive if their referral gets the role.

Benefits of using restaurant job sites for hiring

There’s plenty of benefits to using online platforms for hiring compared to traditional methods.

Wider reach

Online platforms give you access to a much larger pool of candidates from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations. That means you’re more likely to find qualified candidates who are the right fit for the job. 

Filtering abilities

Another key benefit of online platforms is the advanced filtering options they offer. Online job boards allow restaurants to tailor their job postings and set clear expectations. This is done while targeting candidates with specific skills, experience levels and qualifications. Having access to such a large pool of candidates may be intimidating, but with filtering it’s easy to narrow down your options. 

Streamlined process

Moreover, the streamlined application process facilitated by online platforms simplifies the hiring process for both employers and applicants. With just a few clicks, candidates can submit their applications, and employers can efficiently review and manage incoming resumes and cover letters. It’s much more efficient than doing the work manually. 

Good for growth

Speaking of efficiency, online platforms are perfect for restaurateurs with quickly growing businesses or who are opening new locations. If you’re hiring at more than one location, you can save time and money by using these websites by using one posting for multiple locations. We all know the restaurant industry can be hectic–with these websites, you can be more organized and thoughtful with your hiring process. 

Tips for crafting effective job listings

Crafting compelling job listings is essential for attracting top talent to your restaurant. A well-written job description not only provides candidates with a clear understanding of the role but also showcases your restaurant as an attractive employer. 

Be eye-catching: Start by crafting a catchy job title that accurately reflects the position and grabs the attention of job seekers. Next, provide a brief overview of your restaurant and its unique selling points, highlighting what sets it apart from other establishments.

Be clear and descriptive: When describing the responsibilities of the role, be specific and concise. Clearly outline the tasks and duties involved, as well as any required qualifications or experience. Make sure you let them know what their pay or salary will be (or provide a range). Use language that is inclusive and free of bias to attract a diverse pool of candidates. 

Use SEO strategies: Additionally, consider using keywords related to the role to optimize the visibility of your job listing in search results. 

Tell them how to apply: Provide clear instructions for applying, including any required documents or information, and ensure that candidates know how to reach out with questions or inquiries.

Onboarding best practices for new hires

Effective onboarding is crucial for setting new hires up for success and ensuring a smooth transition into your restaurant’s team. Not only does the onboarding process serve as the foundation for the rest of your employee’s experience, a good one can help with retention. 

Be welcoming: Start by creating a welcoming environment for new hires and introducing them to key team members and company culture. Provide thorough training and resources to help them quickly acclimate to their roles, including an overview of restaurant procedures, the layout and  various systems.

Have a strong plan: Implement a structured and professional onboarding plan that outlines goals, milestones and expectations for the first few months of employment.

Provide guidance: It’s super helpful to assign a mentor or more experienced staff member to your new hires. They can offer guidance and support as they navigate their first few weeks on the job. 

Check in with new hires: Make sure you implement regular check-ins and feedback sessions to provide opportunities for new hires. They should be able to ask questions, address concerns and receive constructive feedback on their performance.

How technology can help 

Of course, it helps to use a restaurant system that makes the onboarding process even easier. A modern POS and payment solution like Lightspeed’s can help employees become more efficient and transition better into their new roles. 

Lightspeed customer Recess, Chicago’s largest patio, serves a lot of guests–especially in the summer. In other words, their restaurant is super fast-paced, meaning new hires have to get acquainted fast. With Lightspeed, they can train and prepare new hires to serve customers fast. 

“I can operate the Lightspeed system in two days and I can teach anyone to do it in two days. Being able to have that user-friendly nature and the speed of training efficient and quick, it’s timeless,” says Andrew Ketcham, Associate Director of Operations at Atomic Hospitality. 

Simply put, after you’ve hired new staff, using modern tech solutions can greatly improve the integration process.

Looking to hire restaurant staff?

Finding the right staff for your restaurant can be tricky. With more people going online to manage their day-to-day lives, it’s important for restaurants to post their job openings online to ensure they reach as many people as possible and, more importantly, are seen by the right candidates. However, the restaurant job site you choose to post your new role will depend on your budget, the type of job and how quickly you need the role to start.