Average turnover of hourly employees last year for R&I Top 400 chains was 102% at limited-service concepts providing such data and 95% at full-service chains. That means attracting, screening, hiring and training crew members is a nonstop responsibility for unit managers.

Chains say the first things they look for in prospective hourly employees are a good smile and neat appearance, but the evaluation process only begins there. Face-to-face interviews and, at some chains, personality tests or background checks may follow as chain operators consider whether or not applicants can handle responsibilities and represent a brand to guests.

The Corral OK
Training a new hourly employee at Golden Corral Buffet & Grill represents a $2,500 investment, so the Raleigh, N.C.-based chain carefully screens prospective team members with a two-part initial evaluation.

“When someone expresses interest in working for Golden Corral, they fill out an application,” says Erika Braun, manager of human resources and compensation. “If there is an open position, they go to a store kiosk to take a Co-worker Selector Assessment.”

Completing the online evaluation takes about 30 minutes and involves a series of questions—in English or Spanish—designed to help unit managers determine a candidate’s basic competencies and to gauge how well the behavioral traits indicated match the profiles of successful employees. Prospective line cooks as well as servers go through the screening process.

“We are customer-service focused in all areas of our business,” Braun says. “Even cooks are in front of our guests, so behavioral traits that may not be necessary for back-of-the-house employees in other restaurants are important for us.”

One element of the online screening module involves a series of workplace scenarios in which candidates are asked multiple-choice questions about how they would handle certain situations. “It’s an indicator for honesty, integrity and habits such as drug use,” Braun says.

The screening kiosks have been used in company-owned stores for two years. As their effectiveness becomes more widely known, they are growing in popularity among Golden Corral’s 350 franchisees.

“This system saves time and potentially decreases turnover because franchisees are hiring the right people for the right position,” says Braun.

A New Twist
Few job applicants come to Auntie Anne’s Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels units knowing how to make pretzels. That is a skill that must be learned, and the chain is adept at teaching it. But experience has shown that certain personality types not only get the knack more easily but also are outgoing and friendly. Those are the candidates Gap, Pa.-based Auntie Anne’s seeks.

“This work requires employees to stand on their feet all day and be smiling and engaging with guests,” says Jere Wiegand, vice president of human resources and administration.

Although the right personality is hard to measure or define, certain questions that managers ask help identify desirable traits. “For example, we think our workers need to be outgoing,” Wiegand says. Since all employees attend Pretzel University at Auntie Anne’s headquarters, “they need to have a teachable spirit and willingness to listen and follow directions.”

Working with an outside supplier, the chain is testing an assessment tool designed to measure attributes such as personal integrity, the likelihood that a candidate will be a team player and how extroverted that applicant might be in daily interaction with customers.

Applicants answer questions on forms that managers then fax to the vendor for processing. The forms and questions vary according to job responsibility. Suggested follow-up questions for interviews—based on how a candidate’s answers compare with those of other applicants and with chain standards—are returned to managers.

“For example, based on their initial responses, follow-up questions might be about drinking on the job,” Wiegand says. “There also are questions about integrity and sexual harassment.”

Franchisees have the final say on how they handle the evaluation process and on who is offered employment.

Gone in 90 Seconds
Managers at multiconcept operator Raving Brands’ seven concepts are trained to do a 90-second prescreen of anyone who fills out an application. During this short review, they look at desired wage, scheduling availability, experience and whether an applicant has reliable transportation. Problems with those key metrics are red flags.

Even in that short time, managers are able to reasonably assess reliability and stability of potential employees, says Colleen Lex, director of training and partner development for Atlanta-based Raving Brands, whose concepts include Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mama Fu’s Asian House and Planet Smoothie.

“Managers can’t always interview everyone who walks through the door,” Lex says. “If candidates ask for wages of $13 per hour, which is beyond what can be paid, or if they exhibit poor personal hygiene, managers aren’t going to continue with an interview.”

Applicants who pass the 90-second prescreening are interviewed by managers trained to ask open-ended questions that encourage candidates to talk about themselves. Managers with less interview experience or who are uneasy with the process are supplied a standard form that helps them navigate the conversation.

Questions about background and those that elicit personality and behavioral traits “will predict future performance,” she says. “For example, questions such as ‘Describe for me a time you had to work as a team player’ or ‘Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult guest’ help determine if prospective hourlies can offer good service.”

Uncommon Sense
Attracting good employees is challenging in competitive labor markets, but spotting winners is simple, says Harald Herrmann, president and COO of Irvine, Calif.-based casual-dining chain Yard House. “Hire people who have high energy, are good communicators and make good eye contact,” he advises.

Those are traits Yard House managers are trained to look for first in potential employees. Only if a person is well groomed, smiles and appears to possess an engaging personality does the manager arrange an interview. “A good skill set is the next consideration,” says Herrmann. “Candidates who have high-volume-restaurant experience are preferred.”

With prospective servers, managers conduct 15-minute interviews to gather basic information and to judge how well candidates think on their feet. “I might say, ‘It’s a busy Friday night, you have three demanding tables and a party was just seated at a fourth. How do you handle that?’ We look to see if they have common sense,” Herrmann says.

For bar staff, questions address experience. “We ask potential bartenders how to make specific drinks and learn what volume of work they are used to handling, because they can get swallowed up in our operation without the right background,” he says.

Melting Points
Tampa, Fla.-based The Melting Pot restaurants’ $42 average check and above-average tips result in a high level of employee referrals, says Dick Sveum, vice president of franchise operations. But all applicants, referred or not, are put through the same evaluation.

“There’s some weeding out during the interview process,” Sveum says. “We look for a certain level of experience in the industry and for someone who appears to be patient.”

Server candidates must be engaging and have personalities that will enhance the guest experience at the chain’s 85 restaurants, he says. “But the true test comes when they get into training,” he says. New servers shadow employees until they master order pickup and serving techniques, and also are expected to memorize ingredients in all sauces. Mystery diners check to see that servers are properly trained.