TECHNOLOGY
HOW TECH IS HELPING RESTAURANTS SPEED UP THE HIRING PROCESS Operators say tools like chatbots and scheduling assistants are helping them manage an influx of job applications, according to a report from the National Restaurant Association.
THE HIRING PUSH COMES AHEAD OF BURRITO SEASON, THE PEAK PERIOD BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY. | PHOTO COURTESY OF CHIPOTLE
F or restaurants, hiring a new employee can be a lengthy, time-consuming and costly process. Some are turning to technology to make it easier. According to a report published Tuesday by the National Restaurant Association, restaurants are increasingly using things like chatbots and automated scheduling software to streamline hiring, reducing the time it takes to hire someone from weeks to as little as a day in some cases. It comes as some restaurants find themselves swimming in job applications as they emerge from a post-pandemic labor shortage. Last year, 59% of operators said they had open positions that were hard to fill, down from 70% in 2023 and 79% in 2022, according to the report. “It’s a little easier to hire today than it was a year or two ago. But you’re still getting huge volumes of applications,” said Chad Moutray, VP of research and knowledge for the restaurant association, in an interview. “And so how do you as human resources process that volume of resumes? You really lean on technology.” The report, which is based on interviews with 16 restaurant companies, highlighted a few pieces of tech that restaurants are using to help ease the hiring workload, which often falls on the shoulders of busy managers. One popular feature is AI-powered chatbots that can help pre-screen candidates. The bots appear at the start of an online
application and help guide the applicant through it. But they also ask questions about basic things like age or citizenship that can quickly determine whether the prospective employee is even eligible for the role. “It did a little bit of that screening that someone who was reading it manually might do,” Moutray said. There is hope that as chatbots become more sophisticated, they could take on an even bigger role in the screening process. Chad Hewitt, senior product manager for the digital employee experience at Chipotle, noted that the chain’s hiring chatbot, called Ava Cado, currently uses simple language, but could progress to more complex conversations in the future. Tech is also stepping in at the next stage of the process: setting up an interview. There are a number of tools that allow managers to automate scheduling so that once a worker has applied, they can easily sign up for an interview slot. The report found that these tools have reduced hiring times and taken some pressure off of managers. Three-fourths of the operators surveyed said that tech allows them to get new employees hired within eight days, and all agreed that hiring times have improved noticeably. Southern Rock Restaurants saw the most dramatic impact. The company, which operates 160 McAlister’s Deli locations, said that with automation, job candidates can
JOE GUSZKOWSKI
JOSEPH.GUSZKOWSKI@INFORMA.COM
12
RESTAURANT BUSINESS APRIL 2025
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