Shifts · Events · Seasons · Permanent
The problem with agency staff is rarely competence and almost always context: somebody sent to a restaurant they have never seen, with no idea of the menu, the service style, where anything is kept or what the chef expects, spends the first two hours being a burden to a team that is already short-handed. We brief every person before they leave, keep the same faces returning to the same venues, and would rather decline a booking than fill it with somebody who will make your evening worse.
About us
The agency was set up by a restaurant manager and a head chef who had spent years on the receiving end of hospitality staffing: people arriving without knives, without the right shoes, without any idea what a mise en place list is, or simply not arriving at all on the busiest Friday of the year. They knew what a good shift worker looks like because they had hired hundreds, and they were confident it was possible to run an agency that operators did not dread telephoning.
Everybody on our books has been met in person and, for kitchen roles, has worked a trial shift observed by our chef. References are taken by telephone from someone who actually supervised the work. It means our pool grows more slowly than our competitors' and we occasionally cannot cover a request, which we say plainly rather than sending somebody unsuitable and hoping. Operators tell us that an honest no at nine in the morning is far more useful than a disaster at seven in the evening.
We also try to be a decent employer, which is not the norm in this corner of the trade. People are paid weekly and on time, travel is paid, shifts are confirmed in writing with the address, the dress code and the name of the person to ask for, and nobody is cancelled at two hours' notice without compensation. The result is a pool of experienced people who answer the telephone when we call, which is ultimately the only thing an agency is really selling.
Advantages
Six differences between a briefed professional and a name from a list.
Everyone receives the venue's service style, menu, covers, uniform, arrival time, the door to use and the name of the person to report to, along with anything specific the client has told us. Where possible they have worked there before. It removes the first two hours of confusion that make agency staff feel like a cost rather than a help, and it is entirely unglamorous administrative work that most agencies simply do not bother to do.
No one goes on the books from a form. Floor and bar staff are interviewed in person; kitchen staff work an observed trial shift with our chef, who can tell within an hour whether somebody can hold a section. References come by telephone from a real supervisor. This is why our pool is smaller than the competition's and why an operator can accept a name from us without wondering what they are about to receive.
We deliberately send the same people to the same venues, so that by the third shift they know the layout, the till, the regulars and the chef's preferences and need no supervision at all. Clients can request individuals by name and we keep a note of who works well where — and, just as importantly, who does not. A returning worker is worth considerably more than a new one, and both sides know it.
If we cannot cover a booking with somebody suitable we say so immediately, so the client can look elsewhere while there is still time. Filling a shift with a body who cannot do the job protects our invoice and damages our client's evening, and it is the single practice that makes operators distrust agencies as a category. Being told no at nine in the morning is a service; being let down at seven is not.
Contracts, work authorisation, social security registration, insurance, food hygiene certification and hours records are all handled properly and available to an inspector on request. Hospitality is inspected frequently and the operator carries much of the risk when an agency has been careless, so we treat this as a core part of the service rather than as administration, and clients receive documentation for every person who has worked for them.
Weekly payment on a fixed day, travel paid, written shift confirmations, compensation for late cancellations and a real person to call when something goes wrong. This is not charity: an agency's entire value is the quality of the people who will still answer the telephone in the third year, and the ones worth having leave the moment they are messed about. Our retention is why the same names appear on our lists season after season.
Services
Kitchen brigade, floor and bar, event teams, seasonal contracts, permanent recruitment and emergency cover.
Head chefs, sous chefs, chefs de partie, pastry chefs, commis and kitchen porters, all trialled by our own chef before going on the books and matched to the style of kitchen rather than to a job title. We are told the menu and the covers before assigning anybody, because a competent chef de partie from a bistro is not automatically the right person for a tasting menu, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
Waiting staff, runners, sommeliers, baristas and bartenders for regular shifts and busy periods, briefed on your menu, your service style and your till before arriving. Language requirements are matched to your clientele, which matters a great deal in a city with this many visitors, and staff who have worked a venue before are offered first so that most of your bookings are filled by somebody who already knows the room.
Complete teams for weddings, receptions, conferences and festivals, supplied with a supervisor who runs the group so the client is not managing thirty individuals on the day. We plan the numbers from the guest count and service format, brief everyone together beforehand, and provide uniforms where the venue has no preference. The same supervisors work with us repeatedly, which is what makes a large temporary team behave like a real brigade.
Staff for a full season on fixed contracts, for coastal and resort venues, summer terraces, Christmas markets and festival periods, planned months ahead so that the recruitment happens before everybody else starts looking. We handle contracts, registration and payroll, and can assist with accommodation arrangements where the venue provides it, which is frequently the deciding factor for the best seasonal candidates.
Searches for head chefs, restaurant managers, sommeliers and senior kitchen roles, conducted by people who have held those jobs and can therefore assess a candidate properly rather than matching keywords on a résumé. Candidates work a paid trial shift before any offer, we are honest with them about the reality of the role, and our placements are still in post a year later far more often than the industry average.
Same-day replacement when somebody calls in sick, walks out or is injured, drawn from a pool of people who live nearby and can be in an apron within an hour. We keep a rota of who is genuinely available at short notice rather than telephoning down a list and hoping, and we prioritise regular clients, because the middle of a Saturday service is precisely when a relationship proves its worth.
Contacts
Operators: tell us the dates, the roles, the covers, the service style and any language requirements, and we will confirm within the hour whether we can cover it. Regular clients get a standing arrangement so that weekly bookings need one message rather than a negotiation.
Staff: registration is free, interviews and kitchen trials are arranged weekly, and we will tell you honestly which roles you are ready for.