Should You Add Spanish to Restaurant Job Descriptions

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25.6 percent of restaurant workers in the U.S. are Hispanic or Latino. The majority of these workers occupy back of house positions such as line cooks, dishwashers, and bussers. Because back of house positions do not require the same level of English as front of house positions such as waiters and bartenders, back of house workers’ English ability varies. How can you make sure you effectively target Spanish-speaking candidates for your restaurant openings?

Add Spanish to your job descriptions.

Yes, it’s really that simple. You can opt to add a Spanish translation below your English job description. At the very least, you should include a line such as se habla español in your job description. Adding Spanish in your job descriptions not only extends the audience your job appeals to but also makes Spanish-speaking candidates feel welcomed and comfortable. If you have a Spanish speaker on your staff, you should let candidates know that a member of your team can communicate with them in Spanish.

There is a large disconnect between the language of back of house positions and the demographic of back of house workers. The majority of back of house positions are occupied by Spanish speakers while very few back of house job descriptions include any Spanish. Although English language ability is required in most customer-facing jobs, it’s not a necessity to perform the primary job functions of back of house staff.

You can access a large pool of qualified Spanish-speaking candidates by simply adding some Spanish to your job descriptions. If you’re having trouble filling back of house positions for your restaurant, consider adding Spanish to your job descriptions. You may be surprised to find how many more applications you’ll receive from such a small change.