How to Find and Attract Tourists to Work in Regional Cafes and Restaurants
Hiring workers from overseas can be a great way for cafés and restaurants in regional areas to get fresh energy, experience… and boots on the ground! Many speak very good English, and even if it’s not perfect, they can still be excellent employees. They’re usually keen to earn as much money as they can in a short time, so there’s less concern about whether they will show up for a shift. We’ve drawn on the experience of successful cafe and restaurant owners in regional areas for recommendations on employing backpackers and tourists.
Adapting your training, systems, and people-management skills for a more transient workforce is well worth the trouble. It may also lead you to question some assumptions about the value of long-term over short-term employees, or locals vs. new arrivals. People who work in various jobs and settings are usually quick to adapt to new workplaces, and if they have worked in fast-paced jobs, they are ready to learn and hit the ground running.
Attracting Applicants for Cafe & Restaurant Jobs:
Advertise through relevant social media and job boards that are popular with travellers.
Highlight benefits like flexible hours, staff meals, and a friendly work environment.
Use behavioural interviewing techniques (eg tell me about how you handled problems with slow service in another cafe) and ask them to demonstrate skills – eg make 2 lattes and 2 espressos, make me an omelette, cut up these 4 onions.
Emphasise the opportunity to experience local culture and improve language skills.
There are a lot of people to choose from. Set clear guidelines and expectations, as you should do with all your staff. If one is not working out move them out and get another. We advertise on Backpacker Jobs in Australia and similar Facebook Groups.
Check resumes and call references. ‘I’m a Barista’ is not always as true as it seems. Check how long they have worked in those roles. Ask pointed questions about grind adjustment, shot timing, kgs of coffee used per shift or can you make 60+ coffees an hour.
Jade Skotniczny, Soak Hospitality in Dampier WA
Don’t grab the first backpacker with good experience that walks in the door (it is tempting when you need someone urgently), there will be many others following behind them, consider a bunch of them together, and who will fit in best with your venue, and has the experience you need.
Use the same interview and credential checking you would with any new employee – don’t be lazy and just go on their CV and how they ‘sold‘ themselves when they drop in, usually unannounced. Calling their last employer for a chat is always the quickest and easiest way to verify how good, honest, hard-working & reliable they are.
Obtain copies of their visa to determine their status and time left in Australia and make sure they have a Working Holiday Visa. If they have a student visa, they can only work 24 hours per week.
Be aware they are either going to be looking to use your venue as a ‘filler’ job to gain more money, or they want to get their 88 days working with one venue for 38 hours a week. I have a mix of both and have no real preference one way or the other – it’s just important to have that discussion up front and make sure they fit in to your needs … not theirs.
Martin Long, Ginreab Thai in Broome WA
Onboarding, Training and Development
Provide a thorough but brief orientation, considering language barriers.
Create a simple handbook covering key policies and procedures using clear and straightforward language. This should be a part of your setup for all employees – see also How to Write the Staff Manual for a Restaurant or Cafe
Set up a straightforward, hands-on training program with visual aids, short videos and demonstrations to bridge language gaps.
Speed up the training for everyone – work on your systems so new staff can learn the POS system and the drinks menu in one shift, not a week.
Pair new employees with experienced staff who can mentor and help them adjust to the local work culture.
Write up a simple employment agreement with terms and conditions (simply and clearly laid out) for them to sign. In my experience this gives us and them a degree of formal commitment to each other of agreed terms and avoids any misunderstandings.
Always employ on a casual basis. They are not interested in paid sick leave or annual leave entitlements. They are here to earn as much money as they can in the shortest time possible to pay for the next leg of their working holiday. Plus this enables you to say ‘thanks but sorry we don’t have any shifts for you’ if you want them gone for any reason.
Martin Long, Ginreab Thai in Broome WA
Creating a Positive and Modern Work Environment:
Create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that is respectful of cultural differences.
Encourage teamwork and open communication, using simple language and encouraging employees to ask questions.
Offer adaptable work schedules to accommodate travel plans.
Use digital tools for easy shift swaps and updates, and ensure instructions are clear and accessible.
Accommodation – assist however you can. Negotiate a deal with local accommodation providers or caravan parks or buy cheap caravans for them to use. We have housing for 9 people, which gives us the pick of better-quality staff, and they stay.
Give them enough hours. If you don’t, they will start working two or three jobs and then underperform for you. When they are working, they are working to save money. Most don’t want too much free time.
Jade Skotniczny, Soak Hospitality in Dampier WA
Make sure to follow up any verbal communications in writing via messenger or email, often their written understanding and communication skills are far better than verbal. Written procedures (simple & clear) are therefore crucial and I always request they repeat back to me any on-the-spot verbal instructions to verify their understanding. They will sometimes nod and say OK but have no clue what you just asked them to do but don’t want to highlight their lack of English understanding or are too embarrassed to admit it.
Martin Long, Ginreab Thai in Broome WA
End date – try to get a clear finishing date as soon as possible. We have recently had staff stay a lot longer than planned and we wished we had done this so we could have put more time into them at the start.
We use WhatsApp for communication. We have tried a Facebook group but didn’t really get much traction with it. We use Employment Hero for rostering and HR.
Jade Skotniczny, Soak Hospitality in Dampier WA
Cultural Integration and Support:
Provide information on local customs and workplace expectations.
Offer support in finding accommodation or navigating local services, which can help them settle in more comfortably.
Translations of important safety and system instructions – services like Google Translate will do this quickly and accurately.
I try to have a mix of nationalities if possible, so English is the common language – the multi-cultural melting pot is dynamic and wonderful (we had 10 different nationalities at times last year & it worked brilliantly – made for some amazing after-shift & social event chats).
Providing them a cooked meal after shift has a value to them much greater than what it costs us to make it. They don’t have the time, or sometimes the means, to cook a meal for themselves, so they genuinely appreciate this bonus. Also it is a way of familiarising them with the menu for food they may not know, and enables them to make good honest recommendations to the customers.
Martin Long, Ginreab Thai in Broome WA
With thousands of young people coming to Australia and New Zealand for working holidays, an enormous pool of talent is available, especially as many of their visas require work time in regional areas. Adapting your systems and being more flexible and welcoming for short-term workers will positively impact your entire business.
Hiring workers from overseas can be a great way for cafés and restaurants in regional areas to get fresh energy, experience… and boots on the ground! Many speak very good English, and even if it’s not perfect, they can still be excellent employees. They’re usually keen to earn as much money as they can in a short time, so there’s less concern about whether they will show up for a shift. We’ve drawn on the experience of successful cafe and restaurant owners in regional areas for recommendations on employing backpackers and tourists.
Adapting your training, systems, and people-management skills for a more transient workforce is well worth the trouble. It may also lead you to question some assumptions about the value of long-term over short-term employees, or locals vs. new arrivals. People who work in various jobs and settings are usually quick to adapt to new workplaces, and if they have worked in fast-paced jobs, they are ready to learn and hit the ground running.
Attracting Applicants for Cafe & Restaurant Jobs:
See also: How to Write Restaurant & Cafe Job Advertisements That Get the Phone Ringing!
Onboarding, Training and Development
See also: How to Write Better Job Descriptions for Restaurants and Cafes.
Creating a Positive and Modern Work Environment:
See also: How to Create a Powerful Values Statement for Your Cafe or Restaurant.
Cultural Integration and Support:
With thousands of young people coming to Australia and New Zealand for working holidays, an enormous pool of talent is available, especially as many of their visas require work time in regional areas. Adapting your systems and being more flexible and welcoming for short-term workers will positively impact your entire business.
Useful Resources…
Australian Department of Home Affairs – check visa details and conditions.
New Zealand Department of Immigration – check visa details and conditions.
Google Translate – for quick translations and basic instructions.
Check the other useful blog posts on the Foodie Coaches website…
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