By Tracy Morin
Although the hiring landscape has improved in recent years, plenty of pizzeria owners still often repeat the old adage: Good help is hard to find. And as the next generation of employees enters the workforce, owners (like any solid prospective candidate) must be willing to change and adapt.
Fortunately, meeting and attracting quality employees—while keeping your company culture intact—is possible with the right strategies. Here, experts in the industry share the interviewing skills that help pinpoint top-notch team members, their best tips for weeding out weak candidates, and how honesty and consistency promote maximum harmony between guests, owners and employees.
PMQ: When hiring, how do you filter out weak candidates from the start?
Christina Martin: I have a killer job posting online that is far less “seeking qualified pizza making candidate” and a lot more “Are you freaking super awesome? Can you learn how to make pizza if we teach you? Are you cool to be around for an eight-hour shift?” Candidates get a feel for our culture and vibe right from the start.
Andy Somers: I think it’s key to move past old-school mindsets and preconceived notions. We should recognize trends of the industry and of the younger generations. College-age workers may be transient, and we need to look past their number of jobs. For some, their most expensive clothes are designer jeans and sneakers, not a suit and tie—that’s them showing up in their personal best.
Most importantly, the weakest candidate will not be available to meet the needs of the guest. The restaurant business is not a Monday-to-Friday 9-to-5, so if they can’t meet those needs, that’s the No. 1 disqualifier.
PMQ: What kind of questions do you ask to identify high performers?
Martin: I love looking for former/current athletes, people who volunteer, have a hobby, etc.—just generally have something going in on their life that gives them purpose outside of their day to day. I want to employ a whole human with goals, drive, enthusiasm and zest for life, not just someone who can stretch a dough ball into a circle and press buttons on my POS. A monkey could do those things if taught properly. I want amazing people in my store.
I ask on the application itself, “If I schedule you for an interview, will you show up?” It’s playful but also weeds out the goofballs wasting my time. Additionally, my application prompts them to tell me what they’d do with an elephant if I gave it to them and they couldn’t sell it or give it away. This usually helps me gauge their sense of humor and entrepreneurial spirit (or lack of both—in which case, I’m likely not even going to call).
Courtney Martinez: While we screen for potential and experience, we are also looking for cultural fit. We believe in our culture and are selective about whom we bring in the organization. We have interview guides for our teams to use, but it’s the most important role of a leader to identify a future hire based on their willingness to work hard, be open and curious, and commit to the team we have here. Our leaders, being high performers themselves, ask for examples of traits and behaviors indicative of a solid fit who will make the whole team or department better.
Somers: These questions translate to both hourly and managerial candidates:
Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond. What did you do, and what motivated you to do that?
In hospitality, perfection is difficult to attain. How did you handle a past mistake? What was the mistake, and how did you recover?
Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a policy change. What did you do to adjust?
PMQ: Do you look for “soft skills” in potential employees, and if so, what are those skills?
Martin: I look for people who are friendly, resourceful and competitive. My make line and general operations are very consistent and clear, by design, so my team can use their personality to create an amazing guest interaction. I make things really simple and clear cut, so my team and their great personalities can shine.
Martinez: Absolutely. We believe we can teach anyone how to make one of our amazing pizzas or use one of our systems. We can’t always teach kindness, hospitality, or looking out for the betterment of the entire team. In some cases, the interaction with our team members will tell us all we need to know. How they may hold a door for someone; how they ask questions or seek to find clarity if there is confusion; and showing interest in our environment and engaging with the team are a few behavioral indicators. We are committed to hospitality, so we seek people with that mindset of putting guests first.
Somers: Do they have the ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with their team in the front and back of house? Do they respond well to and learn from feedback? Adaptability is incredibly important in the restaurant industry, and it’s not easily taught. Also, are they a cultural fit? We love a little bit of passion for our pizza and craft beers on tap.
PMQ: Can you share any other hiring best practices?
Martin: I set expectations during the interview that while this is a small mom-and-pop shop, we’re hyper-consistent. No one does things “their way,” but I am totally open to feedback on how to drive efficiency or enhance their job/guest experience/product, and I always welcome their suggestions. If we love them and test them out and it’s a fit, we make that a new company play, but at no point should a team member freestyle a menu item. They seem to love having really clear expectations and thrive with consistency. This also allows me as the business owner to manage the standard instead of managing the personality. This saves me headaches.
I’m also regularly interviewing, regardless of whether I have a position open or not. I keep good communication with great candidates, and nearly half my staff are people whom I interviewed, loved and didn’t quite have a spot for yet with the hours they wanted. So I communicated that clearly, and when the opportunity came up for a position, they were a phone call and some paperwork away. My team always knows they can count on my honesty and transparency by doing that from the jump, and that builds trust that I always have both their best interest and the business’ best interest at the top of my list.
Somers: During the interview, it can be evident how they’ll interact with the guest. Evaluate their active listening skills. Is the candidate interrupting you to ask questions? They might interrupt a guest. Are they asking clarifying questions at the appropriate time? If so, they’re more likely to follow up with guests to make sure they get it right. Recalling specific needs or requests is a great skill in a server.Finally, watch for nonverbal cues: Do they make eye contact and engage in conversation? The body language you see in the interview is likely to be what the guest will see. Do they come across as calm and confident, with an engaging tone? That puts the guest at ease, creating a relaxed and hospitable environment. Hospitality is as simple as being nice and smiling—that’s it!
Tracy Morin is PMQ Pizza’s associate editor.
