Elm Hurst Inn: Not Enough Cooks

In early 2020 Alon Gurman, general manager of the Elm Hurst Inn & Spa, and executive chef Andrew Smith, were facing a chronic staff shortage among culinary workers. The skilled qualifications required for the jobs, coupled with the relatively low pay and long hours of the food-services industry, had made this a crippling problem for some time. With the busy spring/summer season approaching and yet another key kitchen vacancy to fill, Gurman and Smith were desperate to develop a system for hiring and retaining skilled kitchen workers at the Inn. They needed an approach that would not only fill vacancies, but lead to higher commitment and retention among culinary workers. It was a daunting task, so both men were seeking a recruitment and retention strategy focused on this specific group of key workers.