The Challenge
A large hospitality group, operating multiple venues across Sydney and Melbourne, was experiencing a severe staffing crisis.
The group managed 12 restaurants, cafes, and function spaces but had:
- Vacancies for 45 chefs, cooks, and kitchen hands, crippling its ability to meet demand.
- Front-of-house turnover above 50 percent, with staff frequently leaving after only a few months.
- A heavy reliance on international workers, which left the group vulnerable during border closures.
- Rising wage pressure as competitors offered sign-on bonuses, inflated salaries, and perks to attract scarce talent.
- Inconsistent recruitment practices across venues, with some managers relying on referrals while others turned to costly temp agencies.
The result was a cycle of understaffed kitchens, poor customer experiences, and stressed management teams.
Without solving its workforce crisis, the group faced venue closures, brand damage, and lost revenue during its busiest trading periods.
The Solution: Partnering with Ingenious People
The group partnered with Ingenious People to build a comprehensive hospitality recruitment strategy that balanced short-term hiring needs with long-term workforce sustainability.
1. Hospitality Market Mapping
- Conducted a deep dive into chef shortages in Australia, identifying the most affected metro areas.
- Analysed wage and benefit trends to help the group remain competitive without inflating costs unsustainably.
- Identified underutilised talent pools, including vocational graduates, regional workers, and part-time university students seeking flexible shifts.
2. Employer Value Proposition (EVP) Rebuild
- Developed a refreshed employer brand highlighting staff benefits beyond pay, such as:
- Training and career progression opportunities.
- A structured “hospitality leadership program” to retain talent.
- Work-life balance initiatives, including predictable rostering.
- Crafted targeted messaging to position the group as a stable, career-focused employer in an unstable industry.
3. Centralised Recruitment Framework
- Standardised hiring practices across all venues, introducing structured interviews and skills tests for chefs and front-of-house staff.
- Built a central recruitment team supported by Ingenious People, ensuring consistency and speed in candidate screening.
- Reduced reliance on casual temp agencies by creating a direct-to-hire recruitment model.
4. Talent Pool and Pipeline Creation
- Partnered with culinary schools, TAFEs, and hospitality training providers to establish ongoing pipelines of graduate chefs.
- Developed an internal referral program, rewarding existing staff for successful candidate introductions.
- Built a digital talent pool of pre-screened candidates to reduce time-to-hire for urgent vacancies.
5. Retention Strategy
- Introduced structured onboarding for new hires, including kitchen buddy systems and team introductions.
- Implemented a hospitality leadership development program for supervisors and managers, reducing management churn.
- Designed an employee recognition program to improve morale and reduce the risk of burnout.
The Results
Within 12 months, the group experienced measurable improvements across key workforce metrics:
- 45 critical chef and kitchen vacancies filled, with an additional pipeline of candidates ready to deploy.
- Front-of-house turnover reduced from 50 percent to 28 percent, stabilising customer service levels.
- Time-to-hire reduced by 55 percent, allowing venues to fill urgent vacancies within two weeks instead of two months.
- Recruitment costs decreased by 35 percent, thanks to reduced reliance on temp agencies and more efficient hiring practices.
- Customer satisfaction scores improved by 30 percent, linked directly to better service delivery and consistent staffing.
Perhaps most importantly, the group reported its highest year of revenue in five years, driven by its ability to keep venues fully staffed and operational during peak trading seasons.
Client Feedback
The COO of the group stated:
“We had reached breaking point with recruitment. Ingenious People didn’t just fill roles — they gave us a sustainable system that works across every one of our venues. We now have a steady stream of chefs and front-of-house staff, and turnover is under control for the first time in years.”
The Ingenious People Advantage
Ingenious People brought deep sector knowledge and practical workforce solutions to the hospitality industry, proving that even in one of Australia’s most challenging recruitment markets, results are possible.
- Stability: The group no longer faces weekly crisis meetings over staff shortages.
- Sustainability: By building pipelines through training providers and referrals, staffing stability continues beyond immediate hiring rounds.
- Scalability: The recruitment framework now allows the group to expand into new venues with confidence.
For hospitality businesses across Australia, this case study demonstrates that workforce crises can be solved with strategic recruitment, employer branding, and talent pipeline management.
Ingenious People continues to partner with the group, ensuring their workforce strategy evolves alongside the competitive landscape of the hospitality sector.