Assembling and training the right team is one of the make-or-break tasks of opening a restaurant, and it starts weeks before your doors open. These answers cover which positions to fill, when to hire, how to handle wages and tips, the payroll and compliance paperwork, and how to train staff and keep them. Wage and labor rules vary by state, so verify specifics locally.
A full-service restaurant typically needs back-of-house roles, head chef or kitchen manager, line cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashers, and front-of-house roles, servers, bartenders, hosts, bussers, and a general manager. Fast-casual and counter-service concepts consolidate roles into cashiers and cooks with a shift lead. Start with the essential positions your concept and volume require, then add depth as sales grow. A strong kitchen manager and a capable general manager are the two most important early hires. The exact roster varies by concept, size, and service style.
Front-of-house covers everyone who interacts with guests: the general manager, hosts, servers, bartenders, bussers, food runners, and sometimes a maitre d' or sommelier in upscale settings. In fast-casual concepts these collapse into cashiers and order assemblers led by a shift supervisor. Front-of-house drives the guest experience, upselling, and reviews, so hiring for personality and service skills matters as much as experience. Staffing depth scales with seating, service style, and volume. The right mix varies by concept, but a strong manager anchors the team.
Back-of-house includes the kitchen team: an executive or head chef or kitchen manager, sous chef in larger operations, line cooks working stations, prep cooks, dishwashers, and sometimes a butcher or baker. This team controls food quality, consistency, speed, and food cost, so skilled, reliable cooks are essential. Smaller and fast-casual kitchens combine roles, with a lead cook overseeing a few line and prep staff. Staffing depends on menu complexity and volume. A capable kitchen leader who can run the line and control cost is the pivotal hire.
Begin recruiting your key leaders, kitchen manager and general manager, one to three months before opening, then hire and train the rest of the staff roughly two to four weeks out so they are ready for a soft opening. Hiring too early runs up payroll before revenue; too late leaves no time to train. Line up applications and interviews well ahead, and schedule menu and service training before the first guests arrive. A soft opening lets the team practice. Exact timing varies with team size and how much training your concept needs.
Bring on your head chef or kitchen manager early, often one to three months before opening, so they can help finalize the menu, set recipes and portions, source suppliers, design the kitchen workflow, and hire and train the line. This is one of the few roles worth paying for before revenue begins because their decisions shape food cost and quality. Rushing this hire, or leaving it late, undermines the whole kitchen. Give the leader time to build the team. The ideal lead time varies with menu complexity and concept.
If you will not run daily operations yourself, a strong general manager is essential, and even owner-operators often benefit from one to handle scheduling, hiring, inventory, cost control, and guest issues. A capable GM lets you focus on strategy and frees you from being tied to every shift. Hire early enough that the GM helps build systems and the team before opening. It is a significant payroll cost, so weigh it against your own availability. Whether you need one, and when, depends on your involvement and the restaurant's size.
Use a mix of channels: online job boards and hospitality-specific sites, social media, your own network and referrals from trusted staff, culinary schools for cooks, and signage or word of mouth in the neighborhood. Employee referrals often yield reliable hires. Offer clear job descriptions and competitive pay, and move quickly, since good hospitality workers get multiple offers. Building a small bench of applicants helps you cover turnover. Referral bonuses can help in tight labor markets. The most effective channels vary by role and local labor conditions.
Common places include general job boards, hospitality and restaurant-focused job sites, social media pages and local community groups, your restaurant's own window and website, culinary and trade schools, and industry networking. Employee referrals and local word of mouth are often the highest-quality sources. Posting on multiple channels widens the pool, especially in a tight labor market. Keep listings specific about role, pay range, and schedule to attract the right applicants. Response rates vary by platform, role, and market, so track which sources yield your best hires.
State the job title, a short summary of the role, key responsibilities, required skills and experience, physical demands, schedule expectations, and the pay range or wage. For tipped roles, note the base wage and tip structure. Be specific about certifications like a food handler card if required. A clear, honest description attracts better-matched applicants and reduces early turnover. Including pay and schedule up front improves response quality. Keep it concise but complete. Content varies by role, but clarity on duties, pay, and hours is essential.
Pay competitively for your market and role: cooks and dishwashers earn hourly wages that vary widely by region, servers and bartenders often earn a base wage plus tips, and managers earn a salary. Research local rates, since underpaying drives turnover in a tight labor market. Target total labor cost, wages plus taxes and benefits, near 25% to 35% of sales. Balance competitive pay against your budget and prime cost. There is no single right number; wages depend on your local market, concept, and the role's skill level.
Under federal law, employers may pay tipped employees a cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour and take a tip credit for the difference up to the full minimum wage, provided tips bring the worker to at least the standard minimum; if they do not, the employer must make up the gap. Many states set a higher tipped wage or eliminate the tip credit entirely, requiring full minimum wage before tips. Rules are strict and heavily litigated. Always verify your state's tipped-wage law, since it varies significantly.
Servers must earn at least the applicable minimum wage when tips are included. Under federal rules, you can pay a lower cash wage and use a tip credit, but if tips plus the cash wage fall short of the full minimum, you must make up the difference. Several states require employers to pay the full minimum wage regardless of tips, with no tip credit. Overtime and tip-pooling rules add complexity. Because penalties for wage violations are steep, confirm your state's requirements and keep accurate records. Requirements vary by state.
A tip pool combines some or all tips and redistributes them among eligible staff, commonly servers, bartenders, bussers, and food runners, by a set formula. Federal rules restrict who can participate: when the employer takes a tip credit, only customarily tipped employees may share, and managers, supervisors, and owners generally cannot keep tips. Rules on including back-of-house staff depend on whether a tip credit is taken and on state law. Set a clear, written policy and follow it consistently. Because tip law is complex and enforced, verify current federal and state rules.
Restaurant labor cost commonly runs about 25% to 35% of sales, though full-service and fine dining trend higher and fast-casual or counter service lower. New restaurants often run high early because staffing is set before sales ramp. Combined with food cost, labor forms the prime cost, which many operators aim to keep near or below 60% of sales. Watch labor closely during the opening months and adjust scheduling to demand. A labor cost calculator helps you track it. Benchmarks vary by concept and market.
Build schedules around forecasted demand: staff up for peak meal periods and weekends, and lighter during slow times, using sales history once you have it and estimates before opening. Balance labor cost against service quality, cross-train staff to cover multiple roles, and respect labor laws on breaks, minors, and overtime. Scheduling software can automate forecasting, shift swaps, and labor tracking. Post schedules with enough notice, which some jurisdictions legally require. Aim to hit your labor target without understaffing rushes. The right approach varies by volume and local scheduling laws.
It depends on volume and service style, but a rough guide for full service is one server per about four to six tables or roughly 15 to 25 guests, and enough line cooks to cover your stations during the rush, often two to five in a busy kitchen. Fast-casual needs fewer, higher-throughput staff. Schedule extra hands for peak periods and lean staffing when slow. Watch ticket times and guest waits to calibrate. Over time, sales data refines the numbers. Ratios vary by menu complexity, seating, and pace.
For each employee, complete a federal Form I-9 to verify work eligibility and a Form W-4 for tax withholding, plus any state withholding forms. You need an EIN to run payroll, must report new hires to your state, and should keep records of wages, hours, and tips. Tipped-employee notices and food-handler documentation may also be required. Set up workers' compensation and comply with labor-law posting rules. An employee handbook and signed policies help too. Requirements vary by state, so confirm the full list with your payroll provider or accountant.
In many states and localities, food handlers must obtain a food handler card, usually via a short course and exam, within a set time after hire, and at least one certified food protection manager is typically required on staff. Requirements differ by jurisdiction, some mandate cards for all food workers, others only for managers. Bartenders may need separate alcohol-server training. Build certification into onboarding so staff are compliant before serving guests. A food safety certification guide outlines the rules. Exact requirements vary by state and county.
In almost every state, workers' compensation insurance is legally required once you have employees, and penalties for going without it are severe. It covers medical costs and lost wages for job-related injuries, which are common in restaurant kitchens. Requirements, such as the number of employees that triggers coverage, vary by state, and a few states have narrow exceptions. Obtain a policy before your first employee starts. Your business insurance agent can bundle it with general liability and property coverage. Confirm your state's specific mandate, since thresholds and rules differ.
Background checks can be prudent, especially for managers, bartenders, and anyone handling cash, money, or keys, but they must comply with federal Fair Credit Reporting Act rules and state and local laws, including ban-the-box restrictions that limit when you can ask about criminal history. Get written consent, use the information consistently and lawfully, and avoid blanket disqualifications that could be discriminatory. Focus checks on job-relevant factors. Many restaurants check references and work history at minimum. Because screening laws vary by state and city, confirm what is permitted before you start.
Run structured training in the weeks before opening: teach the menu, recipes, and allergens; drill service steps and POS use; cover food safety, cleaning, and opening and closing procedures; and hold practice services. A soft opening or friends-and-family night lets the whole team rehearse under real conditions and surfaces problems before paying guests arrive. Provide written guides and shadowing for new hires. Investing in training up front improves consistency and reduces early mistakes. A kitchen staff training guide helps structure it. The depth needed varies by concept.
A soft opening is a limited pre-launch, often invite-only or with a reduced menu and lower volume, that lets your team practice real service before the official grand opening. It reveals kitchen bottlenecks, POS issues, service gaps, and timing problems while stakes are low, and it builds staff confidence and teamwork. Many owners run several soft-opening nights, tightening operations after each. Collecting feedback helps refine the menu and flow. It is one of the best training tools available. Length and format vary, but most new restaurants benefit from one.
Turnover is chronically high in restaurants, so pay competitively, create a respectful culture, schedule fairly with adequate notice, offer growth and cross-training, and recognize good work. Strong onboarding and clear expectations reduce early departures, and a capable manager who treats staff well is decisive. Even modest benefits, consistent hours, and referral or retention bonuses help. Exit feedback reveals fixable issues. Reducing turnover cuts hiring and training costs and improves guest experience. Tactics vary by market and budget, but pay and management quality drive most retention.
A blend usually works best. Experienced hires, especially a chef, key cooks, and a manager, bring skills and stability from day one but cost more and may carry old habits. Training newer staff costs time but lets you shape them to your standards and can cost less. For opening, prioritize experience in leadership and skilled kitchen roles, and mix in trainable hires for support positions. Strong training systems make new staff productive faster. The right ratio depends on your concept's complexity, budget, and local labor availability.
Most restaurants use a payroll service or software because restaurant payroll is complex: tipped wages, tip reporting, tip credits, overtime, multiple pay rates, and payroll tax filings all must be handled accurately to stay compliant. A service automates withholding, tax deposits, and year-end forms, reducing costly errors. Some POS systems integrate payroll and tip tracking. Doing payroll by hand is error-prone and risky given strict wage laws. The cost is modest relative to the penalties for mistakes. Whether you use software or a full service varies by size and budget.
Employers must withhold federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare from wages, and pay the employer share of Social Security and Medicare plus federal and state unemployment taxes. Tipped wages add reporting duties: employees report tips, and you withhold and pay taxes on them, though the FICA tip credit can offset some employer cost. You deposit these taxes on a schedule and file periodic returns. Mismanaging payroll taxes, especially trust-fund amounts, carries serious penalties. A payroll service handles the calculations. Rates and rules can change, so confirm current requirements with your accountant.
You can hire family members, but they are generally still employees subject to payroll taxes and labor laws, with some limited tax exceptions for a spouse or minor child in certain business structures. Classifying regular restaurant workers as independent contractors is usually not allowed, because cooks and servers meet the legal definition of employees, and misclassification brings back taxes and penalties. True contractors, like a one-time repair vendor, are different. When in doubt, treat workers as employees. Because worker-classification rules are strict and vary, confirm with your accountant or attorney.
An employee handbook is not always legally required but is strongly recommended, since it sets clear expectations on conduct, scheduling, tips, safety, harassment, and disciplinary policies, and it helps protect you in disputes. Include food-safety rules, dress code, attendance, and wage and tip policies, and have staff sign an acknowledgment. A handbook promotes consistency and fairness across the team and supports compliance with labor laws. Keep it current as laws and policies change. Some policies, like anti-harassment training, are mandated in certain states. Content should reflect your operation and local law.