According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual restaurant and bar employee turnover rate is 73%. Not only does turnover directly impact a bar’s bottom line—it costs approximately $5,000 to recruit and train a single hourly worker—it also impacts the customer experience.
As Joshua Tilden, the co-owner of The Laurel Room and Pacific Standard Time in Chicago, explains, a bar’s livelihood depends on its ability to build regular customers and maintain a consistent staff: “It really affects the guest’s experience if they go to their favorite bar or restaurant and their usual person isn’t there.”
From hiring strategies to extensive training and perks and pay, this is how Tilden and other bar owners are building effective and successful employee retention programs.
illustration: Lauren Rebbeck