This smart operator learned how to not cut corners when it comes to long-term hiring strategies
Scott Miller knows what it is like to run a 225-unit multi-brand company. As the CFO of Cotti Foods, a franchisee of Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Pieology, he often takes on the long-term challenge to be sure that he has the right qualified people out in the field and in the back office.
Miller runs his restaurants knowing that it is much easier to have a team member ready to step up rather than hiring from the outside. Looking with an eye toward the future, he believes in promoting star employees from within.
“One of the values I try to instill in the organization is that we are constantly trying to develop staff through cross-training for a more well-rounded team,” states Miller. He adds, “When you are scaling up it is important to be thinking two, three, or four years down the road. Do you have those skills in-house, or do you need to acquire them or develop them?”
Below are a few tips on how to focus on your restaurant’s long-term hiring strategy:
Your hiring strategy should be focused on how to hire and retain the best restaurant employees possible, now and in the long term. Start by prioritizing culture fit and motivation over just industry experience. It is important to hire with employee retention in mind. When you are interviewing candidates, take the time to look for applicants who are looking for a career, rather than just a job.
With this approach, you may need to prioritize engagement and a drive to learn over direct industry experience. Just because a candidate already has the skills does not mean the person will be the best fit for your culture. Someone who is motivated to learn may end up being a better fit for your company over the long term, even if additional restaurant training is required in the short term.
Training and development are crucial to your retention strategy, as well as to a positive customer experience. Ongoing development is how you cultivate loyal, committed employees. According to the National Restaurant Association, 90% of restaurant managers start at the entry level. So, you should think of all new hires and existing employees as potential managers, then develop and train them accordingly.
When employees can see a clear path forward, they are far more likely to stay and invest in developing the skills to get there. Defining the benchmarks required to move from crew to shift lead to assistant manager to general manager gives your team something concrete to work toward, and gives you a pipeline of qualified internal candidates ready when you need them.
Employees who understand the underlying reasons behind their actions are more likely to go above and beyond. Invest the time to ensure that they understand why each task is important. Once they understand why daily duties that seem mundane are important, they will be more likely to focus on the result rather than the activity.
Regular team meetings, one-on-one sessions, and feedback loops create an open dialogue that strengthens trust and better aligns employees of all levels with the business’s mission. When a crew member understands that accurate portioning directly affects food cost, or that a clean dining room affects the guest experience and repeat business, the work takes on more meaning.
Platforms like Restaurant365 support this culture of accountability by giving managers the scheduling and onboarding tools to spend less time on administrative work and more time coaching and developing their teams.
Promoting from within is faster, less expensive, and less risky than external hiring. Internal candidates already understand your culture, your processes, and your standards. They require less onboarding time and tend to have stronger buy-in to the organization’s success. For franchise operators managing multiple locations, having a pipeline of trained internal candidates also makes opening and staffing new locations significantly more manageable.
Start by mapping out the roles in your operation from entry-level crew to shift lead, assistant manager, and general manager. Define the skills, behaviors, and performance benchmarks required to move from one level to the next. Document those expectations, communicate them clearly during onboarding, and revisit them regularly in one-on-one conversations. When employees can see a clear path forward, they are far more likely to stay and invest in developing the skills to get there.
Training is one of the most direct investments you can make in retention. Employees who receive regular development opportunities feel valued and are more likely to stay. According to the National Restaurant Association, 90% of restaurant managers start at the entry level, which means the managers you need in two or three years are likely already on your team today. Structured training programs help identify and develop those individuals before you need them.
Start by explaining the why behind daily tasks rather than just the what. When a crew member understands that accurate portioning directly affects food cost, or that a clean dining room affects the guest experience and repeat business, the work takes on more meaning. Regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, and transparent communication about business goals all help employees see how their contributions matter to the operation as a whole.
Platforms like Restaurant365 support employee development through structured onboarding workflows, digital training tools, and scheduling systems that give managers more time on the floor with their teams. When the back office runs efficiently, managers spend less time on administrative work and more time coaching, developing, and investing in the people who will carry the operation forward.
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Building a team that grows with your business does not happen by accident. It starts with hiring the right people, giving them a clear path forward, and investing in the development that turns a good employee into a great manager.
Scott Miller’s approach at Cotti Foods is a blueprint that works at any scale: hire for potential, develop intentionally, and always be thinking a few years ahead. The operators who do that consistently are the ones who scale without constantly starting over.
Restaurant365 gives operators the tools to support every stage of the employee journey, from hiring and onboarding to training and scheduling, so your managers can spend less time on paperwork and more time building the team that will carry your operation forward.
Invest in your people today and build the leadership pipeline your business needs tomorrow. Get a free demo to see how Restaurant365 can help.
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