​People Report: Recruiting will remain difficult into 2016 Q4

People report recently announced their Fourth quarter Workforce Index, and our industry will continue to face challenges in finding quality job candidates and will continue to tax restaurant operators into the last quarter of the year. It will be an especially difficult time as operators also face the pressures of decreased guest counts. It is a vicious downward cycle that will continue to result in restaurant closures.

So how can operators succeed in such a challenging environment?

• Slow your growth: Now, more than ever, is the time to slow growth. And at a minimum, growth needs to be manageable, ensuring you can properly staff and manage your new operations.
• Get back to the basics: This is a concept that Joe Lee, the former Darden executive, constantly preached. Far too often we are looking for the proverbial silver bullet - that gimmick or initiative that will suddenly bring in customers. But it doesn't need to be that complicated - focus on well executed products and invest in your management and hourly staffs. Look at your business as a marathon and not a sprint.

Matrix Restaurant Consulting can help you get back to the basics and to become that employer of choice.

For more information, here is the link to the People Report Article: 2016 Q4 Workforce Index