References in Hospitality: Giving and Getting Them Right

References are routinely treated as a formality in the hiring process. Much like a well-written job description, a well-run reference process signals to candidates and the wider industry that you take hiring seriously. Many employers request them, receive a confirmation of employment dates and a polite non-committal sentence, and file them away. In hospitality, where the candidate pool in London is relatively tight and professional reputations travel quickly through the sector, references deserve more thought than this on both sides.

The interpersonal and cultural demands of hospitality roles are significant. A candidate who performed well technically at a previous venue may have done so in an environment that does not resemble yours at all. A chef who thrived in a fast-paced, high-volume operation may struggle in a smaller, more considered kitchen. A floor manager who excelled under a particular style of leadership may find a different management culture disorienting.

A reference process that goes beyond employment verification and genuinely explores performance, temperament, and cultural fit gives you information that no interview can fully provide. It is the closest thing to a field report from a colleague who has seen the candidate under operational pressure.

The question most references fall down on is specificity. "Would you rehire this person?" elicits a different answer than "Can you describe how they handled a difficult service, or a situation where the team was under pressure?" Open questions produce useful information. Yes or no questions produce liability-managed non-answers.

When speaking to a referee, have the job description in front of you and ask questions tied to the specific requirements of the role you are filling. If you are hiring a restaurant manager who will be responsible for coaching junior staff, ask the referee how the candidate performed in a coaching or developmental capacity. If you are hiring a head chef who will be expected to manage food costs closely, ask whether the candidate demonstrated that discipline.

Tone matters. An enthusiastic response is different from a technically accurate but lukewarm one. A referee who answers every question with evident warmth and specificity, citing actual incidents, is giving you a very different signal than one who stays vague and general. Neither of these is dishonest, but they tell you different things.

Many employers wait until after an offer has been made conditionally to take references. This is standard and generally sensible; it respects the candidate's situation with their current employer. However, for senior roles where cultural fit is critical, it may be worth building a more substantial reference process into the later stages of decision-making rather than treating it as a post-offer tick-box.

As an employer, you will be asked to provide references for staff who have left. The instinct to say as little as possible, partly for legal reasons and partly to avoid awkwardness, is understandable but not always helpful to the wider industry. A reference that simply confirms dates of employment and title is technically safe but communicates nothing to the new employer.

You are not legally required to provide a detailed reference in the UK, but if you do choose to engage, doing so honestly and specifically is more useful to everyone. This does not mean volunteering every difficulty a former employee had; it means giving a genuine account of their strengths and, if asked directly, their areas for development.

The standard legal principle to keep in mind: references must be true, fair, and not misleading. A reference that is technically accurate but creates a false impression through omission carries risk. If you are not in a position to give a positive reference, it is legitimate to decline and to tell the candidate that you will only confirm employment dates and title if requested.

In a sector where the professional community in any given city is smaller than it appears, the way an employer handles references matters to their reputation. Candidates talk. Venues that are unhelpful, punitive, or dishonest in their reference practices develop a reputation that makes future hiring more difficult. Venues that treat reference provision as a professional courtesy, as it is, tend to receive the same courtesy in return. For help navigating the full permanent recruitment process with confidence, speak to the Cookaburra team.