Where To Hire Restaurant Staff In Canada

Thomas Campbell

April 8th, 2024

According to a 2022 survey by Restaurants Canada, 95% of food service businesses reported to having a shortage of staff while 48% reported having significant shortage of staff. While the situation has improved since 2022, restaurants across Canada still face labour shortages across the industry.

In this article we look at the best places where you can find staff and fill your restaurant’s labour needs. From online job portals to staffing organizations, this article will help you find the best talent.

Online Job Portals

Here are the top recruitment sites that will help you hire Canada-based food service professionals easily and quickly.

Indeed & Workopolis:

Workopolis and Indeed are owned by the same company which is a leading recruitment site worldwide. Both sites allow employers to seamlessly post Canada-based job listings, search for resumes, and access a vast talent pool, making it efficient and easy to hire restaurant staff.

FoodWork.ca:

FoodWork.ca is a local and sustainable food advocacy site that connects farms, restaurants, and food service nonprofits with job seekers and volunteers. Whether you’re seeking chefs, managers, partners, or even interns, FoodWork.ca has your business covered.

FoodGrads:

FoodGrads is a platform that aims to bridge the gap between hardworking and ambitious students/graduates and food service businesses. It supports budding food professionals by connecting them with employers while offering businesses, including restaurants, reliable and skilled staff—it’s a win-win.

Your Own Website:

If you have a website for your restaurant, post your job opening on your website as well as job posting boards. This will attract more applicants and give you more flexibility in the hiring process.

Conferences & Job Fairs

Aside from recruitment websites, there are many other effective avenues for hiring restaurant staff in Canada. Conferences are an excellent way to connect with like-minded food industry professionals. Here are the most popular conferences to consider attending:

Restaurants Canada Show:

The Restaurants Canada (RC) Show is Canada’s leading hospitality and food service event that poses an excellent opportunity for restaurants to connect with potential partners and employees.

This annual three-day conference offers peer-to-peer networking opportunities that allow attendees to connect with and potentially collaborate with industry professionals. It also provides informative presentations designed to help restaurant businesses develop, grow, and succeed.

Food & Beverage Ontario Conference:

The Food and Beverage Ontario conference is a highly anticipated event among restaurants seeking to progress and succeed in their business. It offers a two-hour networking session that allows attendees to interact with industry specialists and professionals and sample different products, including premium wines and gourmet appetizers.

Eventbrite Job Fairs:

Search Eventbrite.ca for job fairs in your city and attend them to get access to more proactive applicants who are willing to attend such events and meet the applicants in person to get a better perspective on their fit for your restaurant.

Get Started

Social Media

Social media is among the most effective tools for sourcing new staff. Here are the best platforms to utilize for hiring staff and showcasing your restaurant’s business culture.

Facebook:

Use your restaurant’s Facebook page to post job listings and engage with potential candidates through direct messages. Explore local restaurant groups as well as job listing groups on Facebook. Facebook is a great way to quickly get applicants and get access to more information on applicants.

Instagram:

Instagram has many features, including stories, hashtags, posts, and reels, that make it easy to promote vacant positions and attract candidates. While showcasing your best dishes you can also attract talent.

LinkedIn:

You can use LinkedIn’s all-in-one hiring platform to find and attract qualified candidates quickly. Whether you run a sponsored job posting ad or just post an opening on your business page, LinkedIn offers access to a large pool of applicants and greater insight into their credentials.

Tiktok:

TikTok is the best platform for reaching younger audiences through visual content. Create creative and engaging content that showcases vacant roles and behind-the-scenes operations and even highlights the work culture at your restaurant to attract candidates.

Agencies & Recruiters

The cloud kitchen industry is undergoing tectonic shifts and has been under significant pressure since the end of COVID-19 and the return by customers to dine in restaurants. Here are our top five trends for the industry in 2024 and beyond.

Stellar Personnel:

Stellar Personnel is among Canada’s largest food service and hospitality recruitment specialists, and it operates across Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. They match businesses with a vast assortment of professionals, including front-of-house staff (such as servers, bartenders, runners, and supervisors), culinary professionals (such as chefs and sous chefs), and even administrative and general maintenance workers (including bookkeepers and cleaners).

Signature Services:

Signature Service Inc. are experts in food service and events staffing. They provide a reliable and consistent service that matches experienced workers with your business’s needs. They even take care of recruitment and interviewing processes, so you don’t have to lift a finger.

Proforce Personnel:

Proforce Personnel specialize in a range of industries, including food. Their experts source and connect food service businesses with a range of professionals, including traders, managers, representatives, and much more.

Individual Recruiters:

Individual recruiters who specialize in the food services industry can also give you the assistance you need to hire the right staff. You can find them on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

Consider combining different recruitment methods, such as using recruitment agencies, job websites, and social media platforms, to increase your chances of filling vacant positions at your restaurants with the right people.

At the end of the day, hiring the right staff takes effort and the time put in attracting candidates, reviewing applications and interviewing, correlates to the quality of candidates you end up hiring.

FAQ

How do I find restaurant employees?

Post on job boards, on your website, attend local job fairs and conferences, promote your job openings on social media or hire agencies.

How many staff do I need to hire for my restaurant?

The number of staff you need for your restaurant depends on the size of your restaurant, the extent to which you will handle duties as an owners and the amount of capital you’re willing to allocate to pay your staff.

How do I hire staff for my restaurant?

Once you’ve finished interviewing candidates for your restaurant and picked who you hired, you will need to go through typical paperwork procedures of hiring an employee that can involve criminal check, direct deposit information and contract signing.

Get The Latest Restaurant Data, Trends & Tips

Where To Hire Restaurant Staff In Canada

Online Job Portals

Conferences & Job Fairs

Social Media

Agencies & Recruiters

Conclusion

FAQ

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