The Indian hospitality industry faces a daunting recruitment landscape, marked by high turnover rates exceeding 30% and a fragmented hiring process that often frustrates both employers and job seekers. Navigating this complex environment requires innovative solutions, and Recipeat is stepping up to standardize recruitment in this sector.

Traditionally, recruiting staff in hospitality has been a patchwork of methods including referrals, walk-ins, WhatsApp forwards, and third-party websites. Restaurateurs typically begin by creating a job description and seeking referrals from their network. When this approach fails, they turn to national job boards, which often attract candidates outside the hospitality industry. Pressed for time, many resort to WhatsApp and recruitment agencies, resulting in a limited and often biased candidate pool.

Pritpal Singh from Toscano India highlighted the challenge, saying, “We find ourselves recruiting every month for both new and existing roles due to our expansion plans and the high attrition rate.”

Restaurants without a robust HR team find recruitment particularly daunting. The myriad of channels and diverse requirements make the process cumbersome. “At Recipeat, we streamline all recruitment channels into a single dashboard, enabling recruiters to track candidates seamlessly through different stages,” said Ramvaibhav Kumaran, co-founder of Recipeat.

Recipeat simplifies this chaotic process by offering a unified platform where restaurants can post a single smart link across all their recruitment channels. This innovation allows recruiters to identify the source of applicants and connect with them instantly, reducing the reliance on multiple recruitment methods.

Given the high turnover rates, restaurants are constantly hiring. They employ various strategies, such as attending university job fairs, using social media, and hiring costly recruitment agencies. The scarcity of local candidates often forces restaurants to send HR representatives to universities and training centers to handpick candidates. However, this method is fraught with challenges, including high fees and lack of transparency.

In tech-savvy Bangalore, known for its vibrant food scene, restaurants prefer agencies, social media, and walk-ins to attract fresh talent. Conversely, in cosmopolitan Mumbai, establishments rely more on job fairs and personal referrals. Despite these regional differences, the core issues of high turnover and complex recruitment persist, necessitating innovative solutions like Recipeat.

Recipeat’s platform connects restaurants with a vast database of over 30,000 candidates in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai. This centralized approach mitigates the inefficiencies of traditional recruitment methods.

Recruitment agencies pose another significant challenge in the hospitality industry. Their fragmented operations, varying fees, and inconsistent replacement policies complicate the hiring process, leading to confusion and frustration. Some agencies exploit their position by charging exorbitant fees or engaging in unethical practices, further exacerbating the industry’s difficulties.

Adrien Jasserand of Recipeat explained, “We’ve partnered with over 48 agencies across Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. We act as intermediaries, providing a three-month guarantee and a steady flow of qualified candidates to restaurants and agencies alike.” These partnerships have expanded Recipeat’s job seeker database by 60% month-over-month. Recipeat ensures agencies adhere to their standards, facilitating prompt payouts and redistributing rejected candidates across multiple listings.

“Restaurants can now say no to managing multiple platforms or drowning in paperwork – Recipeat streamlines the process, saving time and resources,” added Kumaran.

Automation is central to Recipeat’s operations. Using WhatsApp, they streamline interview scheduling and communication, making the hiring process more convenient. Candidates simply submit their resumes and are matched with recruiters, simplifying their job search.

Priyaa Ranjan, Head of Guest Relations and Operations at Monkey Bar, shared her positive experience with Recipeat. “With Recipeat, I found the perfect job in less than a week. The platform made the process efficient and stress-free,” she said.

Recipeat is more than a recruitment tool; it represents the standardization that the hospitality industry desperately needs. By reshaping the hiring process, Recipeat is poised to revolutionize how restaurants find their staff. As one of the six promising startups under Gruhas Gusto, Recipeat is supported by an accelerator program led by Gruhas, Jubilant Bhartia Family Office, Sabre Ventures (DLF Family Office), and Anthill Ventures.