Restaurant hiring software
Restaurant hiring software that gives you evidence before the shift
Truffle is candidate screening software that combines one-way video interviews, talent assessments, and resume screening. Every candidate completes a five-minute interview on their phone. Your GM sees Candidate Shorts, match scores, and AI summaries before anyone walks in the door.
7 days · 30 credits · no card required
The GM owns the hire. The evidence arrives too late.
Restaurant GMs decide on instinct, at the door, under pressure. By the time someone walks in for a working interview, the decision has to happen fast.
80 to 150 applications, all missing the same thing
A single posting pulls 80 to 150 applications on Indeed. Years of experience and past employers look identical across a stack of resumes. The signal you actually need, how a candidate reads a table or a rush, isn't on paper.
Candidates accept elsewhere within 48 hours
Hourly candidates are juggling multiple offers at once. A slow first-round screen is often the reason a strong candidate takes a job down the street before you've even called them back.
The hire happens at the door, in the next ten minutes
Restaurant GMs decide on instinct, under pressure, with a line at the host stand. Truffle pre-loads the evidence. AI does the prep. The GM does the hire.
Four steps from applied to on the schedule
One screening workflow per position. Same link for Indeed, walk-ins, and staff referrals. GMs review between the lunch rush and the dinner rush.
Post the Position Link on Indeed, text it to walk-ins, share it with staff
Truffle creates one Position Link per role. Post it on Indeed, print a QR code for the host stand or front window, text it from the floor to a walk-in candidate, and share it with staff for referrals. Same screening experience for every channel, no separate workflow for walk-ins.
Five minutes. Four questions. See who can actually read a table.
AI suggests three to five questions from your job description: table-read, composure under a Saturday rush, allergen awareness, de-escalation. Short enough for a candidate to finish between shifts. Long enough to show whether they can work your floor. Mobile-first recording, no app, no account.
Review between the lunch rush and the dinner rush
AI compiles a 30-second Candidate Short, writes a one-paragraph AI Summary, and ranks every candidate against your criteria with a match score. Your GM reviews from their phone between services. The working interview still happens, just with the right people on the floor.
Every location, one review queue, same bar
A district manager sets up one position and assigns GMs as Reviewers. Each GM reviews their own candidates independently. Share shortlists via secure link with managers who don't have Truffle accounts. Every location evaluates against the same criteria, and you see every rating in one team scorecard.
The screening layer before the shift
Scheduling, POS, and background checks stay in the tools you already run. Truffle does one job: the first-round screen.
Phone-screening candidates between the lunch and dinner rush
One-way video does the first round for you. Candidates record five minutes on their phone; AI surfaces Candidate Shorts, match scores, and one-paragraph summaries. Your GM reviews between services and decides who works the shift.
A ranked list you can't defend to a district manager
Every score has a reason on the record. AI Match shows which criteria a candidate aligned with and where the gaps are, scored against the criteria you set at intake, the same way for every location and every applicant.
A tool that wants to replace your POS and scheduling stack
Truffle doesn't. It's the screening layer before the hire, not a POS or scheduling replacement. Toast, Square, 7shifts, Homebase, and Checkr keep doing their jobs. Truffle plugs in via Zapier or native Ashby, Breezy HR, and Indeed sync.
An enterprise rollout before the next shift needs coverage
Self-serve from $49/month, live in about 10 minutes per position. Paste a job description, accept the AI-suggested questions, add your branding, share the link. No procurement, no IT ticket, no implementation project. Free trial, no credit card.
Restaurant roles Truffle screens for
One workflow, tuned per role. Truffle surfaces the signal that matters for each job, from the first walk-in to the Q4 rush.
Front of house
- Server — how they read a new table in the first 30 seconds
- Host — composure when the lobby is packed and the phone won't stop
- Bartender — speed, pour accuracy, and de-escalation during a rush
Back of house
- Barback — anticipation and hustle before the bartender has to ask
- Line Cook — station ownership when the ticket rail is backing up
- Prep Cook — pace and consistency on repeat work under a short window
Floor leadership
- Expo — traffic control between the kitchen and the floor at peak
- Shift Lead — judgment calls when a Saturday service goes sideways
FAQs about hiring for restaurants
Will hourly restaurant candidates complete a one-way video interview?
Yes, when the interview respects their time. Most restaurant positions on Truffle run three to five questions and take five to seven minutes on a phone. Candidates see the question count, time limits, and what to expect before they record. Completion itself is signal. If a candidate spends five minutes on a Truffle interview, they're more serious than the one who sprayed out another Indeed resume.
How fast can I set up a server or line cook position?
About 10 minutes. Paste the job description, accept the AI-suggested Qualification Questions, add your branding, and share the Position Link. No implementation project, no vendor onboarding, no IT. You can have a new position live between the lunch rush and the dinner rush.
Does Truffle work across multiple restaurant locations?
Yes. A district manager sets up one position and assigns GMs as Reviewers. Each GM reviews their own candidates independently. You share shortlists via secure link with managers who don't have Truffle accounts. Every location evaluates against the same criteria, and you see every rating in one team scorecard.
Can I keep the working interview for the candidates I actually like?
That's the point. Truffle replaces the phone screen as your first filter, not the working interview on the floor. You still shadow-shift the candidates worth shadowing. The difference is you walk into that shift with a Candidate Short, an AI Summary, and a match score, so you know what to watch for.
Does Truffle integrate with my POS or scheduling tool?
Truffle doesn't replace your POS (Toast, Square) or your scheduling tool (7shifts, Homebase). It sits before both. Native ATS integrations with Ashby, Breezy HR, and Indeed sync candidate data and interview results directly. Zapier connects 7,000 more tools, including Checkr for background checks.
What's the price for a restaurant team?
Plans start from $49 per month. You get one shared monthly credit pool across resume screening, one-way interviews, and assessments, and every feature is on every plan. Unlimited team seats, unlimited positions. 7-day free trial with 30 credits, no credit card. Custom plans are available for larger multi-unit operators.
Does Truffle handle shift scheduling or background checks?
No. Truffle is candidate screening software. Shift scheduling, time clocks, and time-off requests belong in 7shifts or Homebase. Background checks and E-Verify are handled through Checkr, which connects via Zapier. Truffle sits before all of that. We get the right candidate to the working interview. The rest of your stack takes over from there.
Does Truffle work for retail and hospitality too?
Yes. The same screening workflow fits any high-volume, hourly, in-person role. If you're hiring for retail or hospitality, see our retail hiring software page for industry-specific examples.
Screen your next shift before the rush hits
One-way video interviews, assessments, and resume screening on one platform. Review Candidate Shorts between services. Decide who works the shift.
Start screening servers7 days · 30 credits · no card required