about

The restaurant labor force has experienced nationwide strain over the past few years. The food sector in particular has deficits in employee retention and has experienced constantly higher than average quit rates in comparison to other labor force industries. These staffing deficits have resulted in record percentages of restaurant closures or implementation of restricted schedules to maintain enough staff to keep the business open. The integrity of the business suffers due to the problems staffing can create. Being short staffed often leads to a high turnover rate. Subsequently adding stress and other trickle-down effects severely handicapping kitchens and business from reaching a greater potential.

The interview process has become extremely difficult due to a lack of qualified candidates. Sadly, the majority of candidates today do not even show up for scheduled interviews. This cumbersome hiring process often leads to hiring staff that are unreliable or underqualified creating dissatisfaction for business & employees, resulting in employee retention issues. The restaurant industry is encroaching on an era in which ownership and/or management is desperate to hire, sacrificing other important and needed qualities to sustain and retain valuable employees. This often results in overpaying for labor and blindly hoping the candidate will work out for the business.Unfortunately, rarely working out.

Restaurant Industry Leaders solves this issue.
R.I.L. places our Agents in positions needed to make a restaurant run effectively, but also trains agents to be an asset to the company and become part of the “bigger picture”. We teach our Agents to see things from ownership & managements perspective, not only from an employee perspective. We believe that collaboration between employee and ownership (Agent and Client) benefits both sides. Our Agents are constantly striving for perfection and working towards a common goal: The overall success of the business and the team. R.I.L. Agents are continuously trained on the bigger picture of professionalism.

Restaurant staff often report feeling underpaid, overworked, mistreated and not respected. Employees also feel they do not receive the recognition they deserve for a job well done. Often, there are no guaranteed salary options due to changing hours and needs. Employees work in undesirable conditions with often no work benefits and an uncertainty about their future. Due to the fast-paced work environment, there is minimal space for communication regarding career planning for upward mobility therefore causing a work culture of seeking a “better opportunity” elsewhere.

R.I.L. proactively targets & solves these complex issues. We pay a generous salary, provide constant growth opportunities, supply full benefits and great employee recognition through our dedicated company team members. R.I.L. Agents are in turn proud to be a part of our company and positive work culture. Our goal is for all R.I.L.’s dedicated staff to become their highest potential Sous Chef’s, Chef’s, management and eventual restaurant owners.

Restaurant Industry Leaders are in high demand because Restaurant Industry Leaders are the future of the industry. Reach out to RIL today whether you are a restaurant or hotel in need of reliable dependable help, or if you are a restaurant professional in search of not just a wonderful job, but an exciting new career!

About the Founder
Founder of Restaurant Industry Leaders, Doug Silva, has worked in the restaurant business for 30 years. He grew up in a family-owned restaurant in Gloucester, MA that opened in the late 1980’s. Throughout the years Doug has learned the restaurant industry from the ground up and over the course of time has experienced both the owner/GM & employee aspects of the industry. These experiences have led to the birth of RIL.

Starting as a teen bus boy & dishwasher then expanding upwards through multiple back of the house positions in the kitchen, eventually learning the hospitality side Serving and Bartending. Doug then worked towards Chef, Manager, General Manager and eventually owner of his own successful restaurant The Topside Grill in 2010. Doug has expansive experience within all aspects of the restaurant industry with an infused culinary education. Doug graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in 2012 at the top of his class with a degree in culinary arts & Chef certification. This further enhanced his ability to provide training and culinary leadership to his restaurant staff. He also has a Business Management degree from UMASS Amherst.