If I were choosing a hospitality recruitment agency, I’d focus less on flashy promises and more on how they handle the unglamorous details. The first thing I look for is how they qualify people: do they ask me probing questions about the role, or do they just say “yes” to everything? I once made the mistake of using an agency that treated every venue the same, and I paid for it in no-shows and mismatched skills. A good agency will be honest about availability and will ask about service style, client type, and the pace of the venue.
I’d also ask what happens when plans change. If a staff member cancels, do they have a backup process? If my event runs late, can they extend staffing quickly? Another thing I rate highly is straightforward communication. If it’s hard to get a clear answer during the sales chat, it’ll be worse at 6 pm on a Saturday. My practical tip is to trial with one or two shifts first, then scale up only after you’ve seen punctuality, attitude, and competence.
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On a related note, I’d always confirm who handles timesheets and sign-off, because admin confusion can quietly turn into billing headaches.
