Answer:

The amount of staff members needed to open a restaurant can

vary greatly depending upon the size of the restaurant, style of service

and hours of operation. That said, whether you are small or large, table or

counter service, some of the principles of staff selection are the same.

The first thing to do is identify the kitchen stations and front-of-thehouse

positions needed. Then you can develop a "mock" weekly schedule showing the total amount of hours and shifts required. This gives you the total amount of work hours available to fill. One thing to remember is that typically around 60 percent of hourly staff members will be full time (working 36-40 hours) the remaining portion of your schedule will be filled by people working part time, which directly affects the amount

of the staff you will need.

It is best to have a preliminary job description for each position when you begin to interview. I recommend a two-interview selection process to allow for more than one interviewer's viewpoint. This process may take five to six weeks to complete the selection of your entire opening staff.

You can find suggested interview questions, interview rating sheets, and sample master schedule forms on www.restaurantowner.com. One recent opening (a table-service casual restaurant open for lunch and dinner seven days a week) required a total staff of 75 people. They interviewed 170 people over a six-week time period.