6 Tips for Hiring Local Seasonal Staff for Your Bar, Brewery, or Restaurant

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Much like direct sourcing, The cost of hiring temporary workers is often overlooked when creating a business plan. But it can considerably impact your bottom line, especially if you’re planning to hire seasonal staff for only part of the year.



Temporary workers can be more expensive than permanent employees because they don’t get benefits and aren’t eligible for the same paychecks. They also often don’t have as much experience or knowledge about your industry, so it’s essential to factor that into their cost.

For example, if you’re a brewer starting out on your own, you should already understand the basics of how to start a brewery. But since you’ll likely be working with seasonal staff, especially during the early stages of your business, there’s a lot more to pay attention to as well.

When creating your business plan, ensure to include a breakdown of how much you will need to pay for your temporary employees. For example, if you expect to have five employees in peak season, estimate how much each employee will earn and include that number in your budgeting process. This practice will help ensure that you have enough money available for all your hiring needs.

When hiring seasonal staff, there are many benefits to being proactive and planning ahead in the hiring process. For example, it’s not uncommon for businesses to hire in August or September and then have no idea what they’ll need until January or February.

 

Unfortunately, this practice can lead to unnecessary expenses because your temporary employees don’t know your needs until they start working for you.

Preparing and staying on top of things throughout the season is important. It’s easy for things like maintenance costs or other expenses to get overlooked as the season goes on, so it’s best to avoid surprises by setting aside money upfront and keeping track of any unexpected costs down the road.

This process is crucial in hiring seasonal staff for your bar, brewery, or restaurant. Having a straightforward interview process that fits your staffing needs is vital. In addition, you want to ensure you are constantly interviewing new staff members to meet your business needs. 



If you do not have an organized interview process, you will waste valuable time in the hiring process. The more time you spend interviewing candidates, the less time you have to spend actually doing something else with your business.

Seasonal staff members have lives outside of work hours as well. They have families and other commitments outside of working at your establishment. So they must be treated as a part of the team when they come to work.



Seasonal staff should always be given flexible schedules so that they can meet their commitments as well as those in your organization. 

For example, instead of having your employees work five days per week, try having them work three days per week or even just one day per week if it works better for your business model (i.e., if you only need one person during the summer months). That will give your employees more time off without sacrificing revenue for the season.

You can’t expect new hires to learn everything in one day or even one week, so you need to create a training program with topics you want them to learn about and then have the opportunity to practice during their first week on the job.



Whether you’re hiring seasonal staff for your brewery, bar, or restaurant, it’s crucial to have a training program that includes staff members and management. The training should cover all aspects of the season, including how to handle special events or high-volume traffic.

The training should also include information about what’s expected of each team member and what they can expect from the rest of the staff when meeting production goals. In addition, it’s essential to provide feedback on performance during the season so that those who are doing well can be recognized and rewarded.

It isn’t always easy to tell which is more important when hiring a staff member, but it’s worth the effort. A great personality can compensate for lack of experience and vice versa. When hiring seasonal staff, look for outgoing and friendly people—these qualities help make your customers feel comfortable while enjoying themselves at your establishment.

The extra hours of labor that’s rung up during festivals, events, and special occasions is something that every company wants to keep in-house. However, if you can’t afford to hire someone permanently, the best option is to hire local seasonal workers on a part-time basis. 



Doing this will reduce your costs and help you avoid potential overtime claims, which could create significant issues down the road.