Why Your Restaurant Can’t Find Good Staff and How to Fix It

If you’ve ever hired someone because you needed a body to work in the restaurant and then paid for it for months, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar. In episode 140 of “The Restaurant Prosperity Formula” podcast, I sit down with Dwight Crain, managing partner of Eleserv, to talk about the real reason turnover keeps repeating itself and how better selection changes everything. You’ll hear what restaurant owners can expect to learn about the hidden costs of a bad hire, why most of us overrate our interviewing skills, how assessments and benchmarks can narrow the candidate pool fast and how the right hiring process protects your culture, your guest experience and your profit.

What you can expect to learn in the restaurant podcast episode

You’ll walk away understanding what hiring is really costing you, even when it looks “cheap” on paper. Crain breaks down what restaurant owners can expect to learn about the downstream impact of hiring out of desperation, from wasted training time to service mistakes to lost repeat business. The episode also clarifies what you can expect to learn about the difference between hiring hourly team members and selecting leaders, because one wrong manager can damage morale, reputation and retention in a way that ripples through the entire operation.

How to reduce restaurant turnover by improving selection

This conversation makes it clear what you can expect to learn about why interviews alone aren’t enough. Crain explains what restaurant owners can expect to learn about how charming, high-energy candidates can win an interview while still being a poor match for the actual demands of the job. The takeaway isn’t “interview better” as much as it is “make hiring more objective” so you stop learning who someone is after you’ve already put them on the schedule.

Why restaurant systems matter but the right person still matters

If you’ve ever wondered whether turnover is a people problem or a process problem, you’ll appreciate what you can expect to learn here. Crain reinforces what restaurant owners can expect to learn about why strong systems, training and support are the foundation, because even the right hire will leave if the environment is chaotic or people don’t feel valued. At the same time, the episode also highlights what you can expect to learn about why great systems can’t save a mis-hire in a role that clashes with someone’s traits, pace or leadership readiness.

How assessments and benchmarks save time and protect restaurant culture

One of the most useful takeaways is what you can expect to learn about using assessments to narrow your candidate pool without treating the tool like a magic wand. Crain explains what restaurant owners can expect to learn about building role benchmarks either from your top performers or through a job analysis, then using that benchmark to identify which applicants are worth your time. You’ll also hear what you can expect to learn about the “three-legged stool” approach, using assessment results, interview and screening and work history together so no single factor decides the hire.

What changes when you assess restaurant managers and develop teams

This episode is especially valuable for restaurant owners who keep promoting the wrong people. You’ll learn what to expect about why a great employee is not automatically a future leader and how deeper manager assessments can support both selection and coaching. Crain also shares what restaurant owners can expect to learn about using assessments across an entire team so leaders can communicate more effectively, leverage strengths and reduce friction that silently drives good people out the door.

Why this episode is essential for restaurant owners

This podcast is essential because it reframes hiring as a profit-and-culture decision, not a staffing chore. If you’re tired of the revolving door, the constant retraining, the guest experience taking hits or the pressure of a single bad manager dragging everyone down, this episode lays out what you can expect to learn about building a repeatable selection process that gives you a better shot at making the right hire the first time. It’s not about chasing perfect people, it’s about stacking the odds in your favor so your systems can actually work with the team you bring in.

Click the podcast player above to listen in, or you can watch the video on YouTube, click here to download the latest episode.