How to Attract and Keep Great Restaurant Employees Without a Big Budget

📅 When: September 30, 2025
📍 Where: Wisconsin Restaurant Association Restaurant Resource & Products Roadshow
🎤 Speaker: Terra L. Fletcher, Marketing Strategist and Professional Speaker
📝 Session Title: Help Wanted? Your Restaurant’s Reputation Is Hiring
🔗 Register here

Hiring has always been tough in restaurants—but lately, it feels impossible. Maybe you’ve hung a “Help Wanted” sign more times than you can count. Maybe you’ve lost good people to other businesses, or struggled to get anyone to apply at all.

The problem isn’t just the labor market. It’s the way your restaurant shows up to potential employees.

At this year’s Wisconsin Restaurant Association Restaurant Resource & Products Roadshow, I’ll be sharing how small restaurant owners and operators can improve their hiring—without needing a marketing degree, a huge budget, or a corporate HR team.

What You’ll Learn in My Session

In “Help Wanted? Your Restaurant’s Reputation Is Hiring,” I’ll show you how to take control of your employer brand—that’s what potential employees think, feel, and say about working for you. Whether you run a bar and grill, café, diner, or drive-thru, your reputation is already doing the talking. I’ll help you make sure it’s saying the right things.

You’ll learn:

• How to attract better applicants by getting clear on your values and message
• Where to promote jobs so people actually see them (and apply)
• Why hiring with values in mind leads to longer retention and better teamwork

This session is practical, approachable, and designed specifically for small restaurants. Whether you’ve got one location or a few, you’ll leave with tools you can put to work right away.

Why This Matters (And Why I Care)

I grew up in restaurants. My dad owned a bar and grill. I’ve worked behind the counter, in the kitchen, and even in a nursing home food service department. I understand the pace, the pressure, and the pride that come with running a small restaurant—and how frustrating it is to feel like you’re doing everything right and still can’t find help.

Now, as a marketing strategist and professional speaker, I help organizations recruit and retain top talent by leading with values and telling a better brand story. I’ve worked with the National Human Resources Association, International Spa Association, Chicago and Northeast Wisconsin Associations for Talent Development, Maple Ridge Farms, The F.R.E.S.H. Project, and many others.

I’m bringing everything I know to this session. And I’d love for you to join me.

✅ Ready to Fix Your Hiring?

Join me at the WRA Restaurant Resource & Products Roadshow and let’s turn “Help Wanted” into “Team Full.”

🔗 Register here
📅 Add it to your calendar
🗣️ Bring a colleague or manager who helps with hiring

If you’d like a preview, have questions, or want to book me for a private workshop, contact me.