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 applicant completes a five-minute interview on their phone. Your GM sees Candidate Shorts, match scores, and AI summaries before anyone walks in the door.

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Built for

Servers
Line cooks
Hosts
Bartenders
Bussers
Dishwashers

Truffle restaurant hiring dashboard with ranked candidates, match scores, and Candidate Shorts

The restaurant hiring problem

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 in the next ten minutes. Truffle pre-loads the evidence. AI does the prep. The GM does the hire.

80–150

Applications per average job posting

48 hours

Before candidates accept elsewhere

30 seconds

Per Candidate Short review

How it works for restaurants

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.

Truffle Position Link setup for a restaurant role with branded candidate experience

Step 1 · Distribution

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, text it from the host stand to a walk-in applicant, share it with staff for referrals. Same screening experience for every channel. No separate workflow for walk-ins.

Post to Indeed, LinkedIn, and your careers page
Print a QR code for the host stand or front window
Text the link directly from the floor during a rush

Mobile candidate experience for a restaurant one-way video interview

Step 2 · One-way video interview

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.

AI-suggested Qualification Questions per restaurant role
5 to 7 minutes of candidate time
Mobile-first recording. No app, no account.

Truffle Magic Review on mobile with Candidate Short and match score for a restaurant candidate

Step 3 · Review

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. It just happens with the right people on the floor.

30-second Candidate Shorts with reasoning for every clip
AI Summaries of every answer, before you press play
Match scores against your criteria, transparent by dimension

Truffle team scorecard with per-criterion ratings for a restaurant candidate

Step 4 · Multi-unit

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.

Per-location Reviewer roles for GMs and ops leads
Share shortlists without requiring Truffle logins
Same criteria applied across every location

One job, done well

Truffle is the screening layer before the hire. Everything after stays in the stack you already use.

What Truffle is

The screening layer before the hire. AI surfaces Candidate Shorts, match scores, and one-paragraph summaries. Your GM walks into the working interview with evidence.

What Truffle isn't

Shift scheduling (7shifts, Homebase). Background checks (Checkr). POS. An ATS replacement. We sit before those. Your stack takes over after.

Roles we help you hire for

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.

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

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

Expo

Traffic control between the kitchen and the floor at peak

Shift Lead

Judgment calls when a Saturday service goes sideways

Go deeper

Restaurant hiring is one workflow. Here's where to go next.

Most restaurant teams start with one-way interviews and add structure from there.

High-volume hiring

Staffing up more than 20 restaurant roles this quarter? See how Truffle handles high-volume screening without adding recruiters.

Learn more about high-volume hiring

Seasonal hiring software

Hiring 50+ summer-patio or holiday-rush staff? See how Truffle handles peak-season ramps without a rec-ops team.

Learn more about seasonal hiring

Integrates with your ATS and other tools

Connect Truffle to the applicant tracking system and workflow management tools your team already uses. Candidate data flows between platforms so you never duplicate work or lose information.

Zapier

Connect Truffle to 7,000+ apps. No code required.

Ashby

Deeper candidate insights when you connect Ashby and Truffle.

Breezy HR

Improve your recruiting process with Breezy HR.

Indeed

Send Truffle interview links to Indeed applicants.

Native ATS integrations

Connect with Ashby, Breezy HR, Indeed, and other ATS to sync candidate data, scores, and screening decisions directly into your ATS.

Zapier for everything else

Route candidate data to 7,000+ apps. Your HRIS, follow-up tools, or custom workflows. No code required.

No ATS? No problem

Share a unique link for each position via email, job boards, or your careers page. Truffle works standalone or alongside your existing stack.

Explore all integrations

FAQ

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 applicant 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?

Self-Serve is $149 per month or $99 per month on the annual plan. Unlimited team seats, unlimited positions. 7-day free trial, 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.