Hiring, Onboarding & Retention Playbook

Welcome — what this playbook helps you do

Find dependable frontline people, get them ready fast, and keep the best of them working with you. This playbook focuses on repeatable steps you can adapt to a café, single-location restaurant, or multi-site operation. Use the templates as starting points — customize language, weights, and timelines to match your business and local labour market.

How to use this playbook

1. Pick the sourcing channels that match your role and budget.
2. Use the interview scorecard to compare candidates objectively.
3. Run the 30/60/90 onboarding plan and complete competency checkpoints.
4. Watch the retention triggers and apply the manager coaching prompts when needed.

Candidate sourcing matrix (choose 3 primary channels)

Use a mix: one low-cost community channel, one targeted recruiting channel, and one reliability/retention-focused channel.

• Local job boards / hospitality groups — quick, low-cost; good for entry roles. Use for basic hires and to build a pipeline.
• Referrals (staff & community) — higher-quality candidates, faster hires. Offer a small, timed referral bonus to encourage usage.
• Social ads / boosted posts — reach a broader local audience; use concise video or day-in-the-life images to attract culture-fit candidates.
• Hospitality schools & community colleges — good for trainees and junior cooks; use structured internship/externship pathways.
• Temp agencies / staffing partners — fill urgent shifts and test potential hires before direct hire.
• Walk-ins / in-store sign — quick and visible; keep a simple one-page application at the host stand.

Interview scorecard (use for first on-site interview)

Score candidates consistently. Record scores after the interview before discussing with others.

Structured interview prompts

• Describe a busy shift you handled. What helped you stay calm and keep service good?
• Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. What did you do to fix it?
• What hours are you available? How would late-night or weekend work fit with your schedule?
• How do you prefer to receive feedback from a manager?
• What would make you want to stay at a job for more than a year?

Offer & acceptance checklist

• Confirm start date and first shift supervisor.
• Send a simple offer text/email with agreed pay, hours, and start details.
• Attach a short onboarding packet (where to park, dress code, where to meet).
• Confirm required documents (ID, permit, banking info) and preferred onboarding time.

30/60/90 onboarding plan (template)

Use this template as a fillable plan assigned to each new hire. Add dates and the responsible trainer or manager.

Competency checkpoints (quick checklist)

• Can complete opening tasks in allotted time (yes/no)
• Can take orders accurately and enter them into POS (yes/no)
• Maintains food safety temps and simple hygiene checks (yes/no)
• Handles one peak hour shift with acceptable speed and quality (yes/no)
• Demonstrates positive guest interactions and conflict calm (yes/no)

Retention triggers — watch these and act fast

When any of these occur, use a short coaching intervention within 7 days.

• Decrease in punctuality or increase in no-shows — ask about root cause; offer schedule adjustment or support resources.
• Performance drop across shifts — re-train on specific tasks; pair with a mentor for 3 shifts.
• Negative guest feedback tied to a person — coach on the interaction, set a remediation plan, follow up.
• Low engagement signs (quiet, not volunteering) — invite to a one-on-one to discuss goals and concerns.

Manager coaching prompts (short scripts)

• Start: "Tell me how you felt the shift went. What went well and what felt hard?"
• When correcting: "I noticed X. Here's what I want to see next time. Can we try this together?"
• To build ownership: "What's one thing you want to improve this week? How can I help you do it?"
• To recognize good work: "You handled that rush really well. You made a difference for guests and the team."

Key metrics to track (start simple)

• Time-to-fill (days) — average time from posting to accepted offer.
• Ramp time to competency (days to pass checkpoint 1 and to 90-day success).
• 90-day retention rate — percent of hires still employed at 90 days.
• Quality-of-hire signal — average interview score of hired candidates; guest complaints per employee.
• Refill frequency — how often a role needs re-hiring per quarter.

Implementation checklist

1. Pick primary sourcing channels and create one standard job posting.
2. Adopt the interview scorecard and train two hiring managers to use it consistently.
3. Create a fillable 30/60/90 plan for each new hire and schedule the 30- and 90-day reviews.
4. Set up weekly manager check-ins for new hires and a simple way to record competency checkpoints.
5. Track the few key metrics above and review them monthly with the leadership team.

Quick templates you can copy

Keep a short job posting (3–5 bullet responsibilities), a one-page new-hire checklist, and a 30/60/90 plan in a shared folder so managers can copy and customize.

Next steps & capability opportunities

Start with the paper or spreadsheet versions above. As you mature, make these tools interactive so hiring managers can submit scorecards and onboarding plans into organizational memory and dashboards (see Capability notes).

End of playbook — adapt to your operation, measure results, and iterate.