FROM JULY 2015'S RECRUITER MAGAZINE

As pan-Asian casual dining chain Wagamama widens its footprint across the UK, the company’s head of recruitment says its biggest recruiting challenge is staffing new restaurants in smaller urban areas where it is less well known.

Speaking exclusively to Recruiter, Chris Raaff said Winchester, Hants, where Wagamama recently opened an outlet with 40 staff, was an example of a location that “proved really challenging. It’s quite affluent, and the brand is not as well established and recognisable as it is in London or Birmingham where we have a number of restaurants”.

To overcome such challenges, Wagamama has invested significantly in building its employer brand, and is active on social media in advance of openings and uses hoardings to direct locals to the chain’s website. 

The company has also worked with local government to reach potential candidates in pre-employment training. However, “inconsistent” experiences have led Wagamama to now partner with a ‘sole provider’ of employment support services, which Raaff declined to name, to tap into populations of young people who are not-in-education, employment or training (NEETS) across the UK.   

Currently, a nationwide hunt is on to find chefs as the chain opens 15 to 20 new eateries each year. Chefs represent “a critical skills shortage”, he added, “so we have to be aggressive in our approach to finding them”.  

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