Restaurant, Taproom and Tasting Room HR

Running this style business is not easy, you have your business and then you have guests.

Our specialized HR services are designed to help restaurants succeed by optimizing employee management, reducing risk, and ensuring compliance, so you can focus on what you do best—delivering great dining experiences.

Featured Expert

As Fractional HR Leadership in Breweries and Taprooms.

Give it a listen wherever you catch your podcasts!

Managing people is hard, regardless of the business - then we through alcohol into the mix and our laid back industry culture.

Here’s our top 10 common HR pain points in industry

Addressing these pain points requires a strong HR strategy focused on compliance, employee engagement, and efficient processes tailored specifically to the restaurant industry.

    • Restaurants often experience high turnover rates, particularly with hourly employees. Constant hiring and training can be costly and time-consuming.

    • The challenge of maintaining consistent service quality due to frequent staff changes.

    • Navigating complex labor laws in California, especially around meal/rest breaks, overtime, and minimum wage compliance.

    • Tip reporting and the classification of tipped employees.

    • Employee classification issues (exempt vs. non-exempt, full-time vs. part-time).

    • Balancing flexible and unpredictable shifts while ensuring labor law compliance.

    • Managing unpredictable demand fluctuations and last-minute scheduling changes (especially with “on-call” or split shifts).

    • Managing "clopening" shifts, where employees work late and have to return early, violating rest period laws.

    • Consistent onboarding and training across various positions (servers, cooks, hosts) with minimal time available for extensive training.

    • Keeping up with mandatory compliance training (e.g., ServSafe, Harassment Prevention) and certifications.

    • Keeping employees motivated in a high-pressure, low-margin environment.

    • Lack of opportunities for growth and development, which can lead to disengagement and high turnover.

    • Managing payroll complexities, especially around overtime, tips, and various wage tiers for different roles.

    • Offering competitive wages and benefits while maintaining profitability in a low-margin industry.

    • Balancing compensation and benefits for both hourly workers and salaried management.

    • Handling disputes between staff in a high-stress, customer-facing environment.

    • Maintaining positive relationships with both front-of-house and back-of-house employees, who may have very different working conditions.

    • Implementing effective performance reviews for both hourly and salaried employees.

    • Managing poor performance or behavioral issues in a way that doesn’t disrupt operations.

    • Addressing safety risks, from slip-and-fall accidents to food safety violations.

    • Managing workers' compensation claims and ensuring compliance with OSHA standards.

    • Attracting qualified candidates in a competitive labor market.

    • Efficiently managing the recruitment process for a high volume of hourly roles while balancing other operational duties.

Why Choose Us?

  • We know the restaurant industry's HR challenges from wage compliance to employee relations.

  • Every restaurant is different. We create HR strategies that are tailored to your specific needs, staff structure, and business goals.

  • Our focus isn’t just on solving problems; it’s on preventing them. We help you create a stable and compliant work environment, leveraging the tech/POS you have or helping suggest changes thus reducing risks before they become issues.

  • We’re not just here to ensure compliance. We’re here to help you create a great employee experience that translates into better service and a workplace environment that makes guests come back for more.

  • Our strategic planning focuses on optimizing compensation and saving costs in your operations without sacrificing the employee experience.

What to Expect?

  • We’ll take the time to understand your specific HR pain points, workforce structure, and business goals.

  • We’ll perform a comprehensive audit of your HR practices, ensuring compliance with California’s complex labor laws and identifying areas for improvement.

  • We’ll collaborate with your leadership team to develop a workforce strategy that optimizes compensation, scheduling, and employee engagement while maintaining compliance.

  • We offer ongoing HR management and advice, from compliance checks to employee relations strategies, ensuring you stay on track and can focus on your operations.

  • You’ll receive regular updates on all projects and HR functions, so you’re always in the loop and can make informed decisions.