Modernizing the Restaurant Hiring Experience: What Today’s Workers Really Want

Walk into any restaurant, and you’ll often see it. A manager working a register, a server covering twice the tables they should, and a “Help Wanted” sign taped to the door. The restaurant industry is in a constant cycle of hiring, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurants make up 10% of the total U.S. workforce, employing more than 15 million people. But over half of those employees are under 35. Many are still in school. A significant percentage speak a language other than English at home. And an overwhelming majority are working in hourly, high-turnover roles.

They’re not just looking for a paycheck. They’re looking for flexibility, clarity, and a hiring process that doesn’t waste their time.

So why are so many restaurant hiring practices stuck in the past?

Let’s talk about how to change that — and how AI, automation, and the right tools can make all the difference.

The Candidate Experience Is the Business Experience

Restaurant employees are some of the youngest and most diverse workers in the economy. Forty percent are under the age of 25. One in four is Hispanic. Many speak a language other than English at home. Most are in entry-level roles, often working their first or second job. They’re tech-savvy, mobile-first, and used to getting things instantly — from food delivery to job opportunities.

So what does that mean for hiring?

If your job application is clunky, if it’s hard to find the right role, or if interviews are slow to schedule, candidates move on. Sometimes within hours. In a labor market where every position matters — and turnover is measured in months, not years — losing just one candidate can ripple through your business.

Because every no-show interview means a shift that goes uncovered. Every lost candidate means more pressure on your current staff. Every delay in hiring impacts your service, your speed, your sales, and your reputation.

Which is exactly why candidate experience is business experience.

The same way a server’s attitude shapes a customer’s visit, your hiring process shapes how candidates feel about joining your team. And if it’s slow, impersonal, or confusing, they’ll assume the job will be too.

Hiring isn’t a back-office function. It’s the first step in delivering a great guest experience. And it deserves the same focus, investment, and care.

Culture, Language, and Belonging: The Often Overlooked Piece of Candidate Experience

Let’s go a step deeper. When we talk about modernizing the candidate experience, it’s not just about speed or automation. It’s also about belonging. The culture and language of your hiring processes matter — a lot — especially when you consider who’s applying.

Restaurant teams are beautifully diverse — and your candidate experience needs to reflect that.

If your experience doesn’t reflect who your candidates are, you risk losing them before they ever walk through the door.

Phenom makes inclusion feel personal. Career sites adapt to language preferences. The Talent Companion chatbot communicates in multiple languages and simplifies even the most complex application steps. With conversational applications and personalized content, candidates feel like the experience was made for them — because it was.

This is about removing unnecessary barriers. When a job seeker sees content in their language, receives clear next steps, and feels seen and respected throughout the process, their likelihood to apply — and to accept the offer — goes way up.

And it doesn’t end with the application. Text messaging, interview prep, and feedback tools all support clear, inclusive communication from start to finish. It’s the kind of experience that turns applicants into advocates, and first-time job seekers into long-term employees.

Related reading: DEI&B: How to Build a Lasting Culture of Belonging

A Better Way to Attract, Engage, and Hire

We know that inclusion builds connection. Now let’s talk about how that connection drives results — and how Phenom uses AI and automation to accelerate every stage of restaurant hiring.

1. Start with the first impression. Phenom career sites are personalized and mobile-optimized, surfacing local jobs and relevant content based on each candidate’s behavior and preferences. Spanish-speaking cook looking for a prep role after school? They’ll see the right role, in the right language, with the option to apply in minutes — not hours.

2. Make it conversational. Phenom Chatbot guides job seekers through the process, answering questions, pre-screening for fit, and even scheduling interviews automatically. No logins, no delays, no hoops to jump through.

3. Follow through with smart automation. Behind the scenes, the Phenom platform uses AI to prioritize top candidates, deliver instant screening results, and reduce manual tasks for recruiters and hiring managers alike.

It’s fast. It’s efficient. And it’s designed with restaurant candidates in mind.

What Kind of Recruiting Model Works Best?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to restaurant hiring, especially when your brand spans corporate locations, franchises, and regional operators.

But there are patterns:

• Centralized recruiting works well for organizations that want consistency and control. It’s great for branding, compliance, and driving process improvements at scale. But it can feel slow and disconnected at the store level.

• Decentralized recruiting is fast and flexible. Local managers make their own calls and can move quickly when a new hire is needed. But without guardrails, things can get messy. Inconsistent candidate experiences, missed compliance steps, and poor-quality hires are common.

• Hybrid recruiting is where most restaurant brands are heading. With this model, recruiters and corporate teams handle the backbone — sourcing, technology, automation — while hiring managers take ownership of the final steps like interviews and selection.

Phenom makes hybrid recruiting seamless. With shared dashboards, automation that bridges both sides, and role-specific tools, everyone stays connected and empowered.

Hiring Automation Isn’t Optional — It’s the Job

High-volume hiring in restaurants isn’t an annual initiative. It’s an everyday necessity.

Whether you’re filling 50 roles across a franchise group or just trying to cover weekend shifts, the pressure is constant — and the competition is everywhere. That’s why Phenom High-Volume Hiring exists: to bring clarity, speed, and scale to one of the most operationally intense hiring environments around.

Let’s start at the top of the funnel.

Phenom’s Talent Companion Chatbot is available around the clock, helping candidates find the right role, answer questions, and apply instantly — all through a conversation, not a static form. It's omnichannel, which means whether a candidate reaches you through your career site, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media, the experience is consistent and seamless.

The process feels natural because it is. Conversational applications break down barriers and make it easier for candidates to engage — even those with limited job experience or comfort navigating corporate systems. It's not just about 24/7 access. It's about creating an experience that welcomes every applicant, every time.

From hello to hired, it all moves faster.

The career site is fully mobile-optimized and built to personalize the journey for each job seeker. No two candidates are alike, and their experience shouldn’t be either. With content personalization and real-time recommendations, visitors see the jobs and stories most relevant to them.

And when they’re ready to take the next step? Phenom Automated Interview Scheduling takes over. Candidates can book time directly with hiring managers through self-service scheduling, synced to real calendars. This reduces delays, eliminates email back-and-forth, and ensures no one slips through the cracks. Fast-track time-to-interview means your best candidates aren’t waiting — and you aren’t losing them to competitors.

Behind the scenes, Phenom’s automation engine is constantly working.

We configure workflow automations in batches of 5, 10, or 20 at a time to match your operational structure. Think of it like building the plumbing — everything flows from one stage to the next, without manual intervention. Triggers can fire off candidate messages, schedule reminders, or launch assessments. You create custom journeys by job type, location, or any criteria you define. We help guide those decisions with our automation consultation process, ensuring you're not just automating — you're optimizing.

Related reading: Integrations, Automations, and Analytics: How Life Time Drives Thriving Talent Pipelines

Screening happens automatically too — and intelligently.

X+ Screening uses smart eligibility questions, knockout logic, and behavioral routing to separate top candidates from the rest. And it all happens inline, right in the chat flow or application interface. No waiting. No spreadsheets. Just clear next steps for both candidates and hiring teams.

Every applicant is scored based on their fit — and routed accordingly. Want to prioritize candidates with food handler certifications? Looking for someone with previous customer service experience? You define the criteria. Phenom handles the matching.

Then there’s the Hiring Manager App.

Real-time access to candidate profiles means managers aren’t stuck in their inbox. They can review resumes, check Fit Scores, read feedback from other interviewers, and even send messages or schedule interviews — all from their phone. For restaurant managers who spend their day on the move, this isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity.