Acquiring An A-Team: Hiring for Hospitality in Seasonal Towns

When you operate a restaurant or bar business in a highly seasonal community, how should you approach hiring? Do you only onboard team members who can stick it out 12 months a year, or should you consider hiring employees with better personalities but only limited seasonal availability? Liz, Noelle, and Nikos are answering questions about what it takes to hire an ‘A-Team,’ including:

• Do you reserve the busiest shifts for the most personable team members or those who are most dedicated?
• Can you teach someone with talent but no personality how to make it in the hospitality business?
• Do parents get away with slacking off more in the workplace?
• How can you prevent year-round team members from growing resentful of their seasonal counterparts?
• Is it OK to let your ‘star’ employees claim the best shifts while not contributing to side work?