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Independent Operators

A guide to hiring seasonal food truck staff

Planning for busy seasons is essential for a food truck operator. Instead of stretching a staff too thin, consider hiring seasonal help to handle the annual influx of guests.

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July 5, 2021 by Richard Traylor — Writer, WebstaurantStore

Planning for busy seasons is essential for a food truck operator. Instead of stretching your staff too thin, consider hiring seasonal help to handle the annual influx of guests. Follow these guidelines to stay on top of your busy season without compromising service or quality.

What are seasonal roles?

Seasonal jobs are created at different times of the year when there is an increase in demand for products or services that certain industries provide. A great example of an industry that sees an increase in seasonal work is the food truck industry and foodservice sector.

These industries are known to draw more customers in good weather months, and holiday timeframes, due to an increase in travel and nicer weather.

Considerations before hiring seasonal employees

Before jumping right into the hiring process, ask yourself these questions to determine whether seasonal employment is the right solution for your establishment.

If year after year you experience an increase in business at specific times, such as Memorial Day or July 4 or in the fall, this is a good indication hiring seasonal employment could be beneficial.

However, there's a big difference between a steady growth in customers and encountering a busy season. If your food truck seems to experience busy times consistently throughout the year, it may be time to expand your full-time staff.

Taking the time to properly and thoroughly train seasonal employment can be time-consuming. Despite only being seasonal hires, the staff is still expected to know everything about the job, ranging from cleaning practices to handling big crowds and events.

Although it may be an unappealing process for a short-term situation, it's important to remember that every staff member, whether full-time or seasonal, represents your company to the customer, and a compromise in customer service could cost your reputation.

Food truck owners may not realize that seasonal employees could be eligible for certain benefits such as unemployment. Because this varies state by state, it is recommended you check local regulations before bringing hiring seasonal workers. Similarly, contact your insurance company about coverage for seasonal employees and find out how this may impact your current rates.

The number of hours that a seasonal employee works is based on a part-time schedule but will vary depending on how many other seasonal workers you are planning to hire and how many individuals you currently have year-round. To give employees a fair amount of hours, evaluate the increases in sales or foot traffic your business has seen during busy seasons to help guide you through deciding how many people you should hire during busy seasons.

Once you've decided that seasonal help will be beneficial for your business, there are several factors to keep in mind when beginning the hiring process. Since these seasonal staff members are only on board for a few months out of the year, it would be a waste of time to interview, hire, and train someone who didn't work out.

Consider the following as you begin your recruitment process:

Begin the hiring process early. You'll want to start listing your open positions three to four months before your busy season. If you're looking to fill positions for the holiday season, begin posting job descriptions toward the end of the summer. It takes time to create interest, interview applicants, and properly train new hires.

Keep expectations clear in the job description. State in the title of the job posting that this is seasonal work only. Within the job description, list out all duties you expect the candidate to perform, including any labor-intensive tasks or challenges involved.

Identify candidates who have the potential to become permanent, full-time employees. Instead of simply filling a temporary position, consider whether or not you could see a candidate moving on to become a full-time employee. This could save time and hassle when it comes to filling a full-time position in the future or once the season is over.

Look for quick learners with positive attitudes. While hiring employees with relevant experience is usually preferred, identifying candidates who learn quickly and present positive attitudes can be equally as rewarding. Seasonal workers may need to learn some skills on the job, so a willingness to do so can go a long way.

Get referrals and recommendations from current exemplary staff members. Your staff knows what you expect of your employees. Because of this, they can make valuable connections between you and potential new hires who they believe are qualified for the job.

Target the right applicants. Seasonal work is ideal for high school kids and college students looking for summer jobs. Or, market your business to recent college graduates who need time to figure out their next move. Teachers looking for extra cash during the summer and retirees also make great candidates for seasonal hire.

Training seasonal help should be the same or very similar to how you train permanent staff members. Although it's for a shorter period of time, seasonal staff are being paid to represent your food truck and are expected to offer the same level of customer service as full-time staff.

Being thorough in your interview process should ensure that you find candidates who have good interpersonal skills and who demonstrate the ability to interact well with customers and fellow staff members. During their training period, promote the best benefits of the job to motivate and excite staff. For example, if your seasonal staff is expected to work a lot of weekend hours, remind them about the potential for great tips.

Once you've acquired new hires, it's important to keep them from quitting mid-season. A sudden loss of employees can leave you understaffed and out of time to begin the hiring process over again. Along with taking the time to properly and thoroughly train seasonal hires, there are a few precautions you can take to keep staff happy during their time with your restaurant.

1. Offer incentives

Offering bonuses or incentives for those who complete the season may seem excessive, but it's a highly effective method for retaining seasonal help. Giving your staff an extra reason to stay can make or break you from having a smooth season compared to a hectic one. Along the way, offer incentives that will make your employees happy and deter them from quitting.

2. Create a positive work environment

Eliminate any rivalry or tension between your temporary and full-time staff by encouraging seasonal employees to participate in company activities.

3. Respect employees' personal schedules

Whether it's the summer months or the holiday season, it's important to remember your seasonal staff is working at a time others may normally have off. They'll want to enjoy the warm weather or seasonal activities as well, and you need to provide clear expectations about how many days or hours they can expect to work each week.

Providing a solid work schedule ahead of time will also give seasonal employees a chance to plan activities or appointments around the days they work, which will help minimize the number of people calling off.

About Richard Traylor

Richard Traylor graduated from Temple University in the winter of 2014 with a degree in Strategic Communications. After graduating, he taught English in South Korea for two years, during which he was fortunate enough to travel and see the world. In October 2016, he returned home and started to work in SEO Content at Webstaurant Store. This blog previously ran on Webstaurant Store.

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