Companies in the restaurant industry must ensure their managers are capable and trustworthy to handle all of their job duties, including budgeting, inventory management, hiring, firing, scheduling, and more.
Pre-employment background checks confirm what an applicant has reported on their resume and help uncover issues that could interfere with their ability to perform the job’s duties.
This guide explains everything you need to know.
Key Takeaways
- Background checks for restaurant managers investigate a candidate’s criminal history, past employment, education, certifications, and other relevant information.
- Because of the responsibilities restaurant managers have and their access to money, conducting background checks on every applicant helps reduce your liability risks.
- To complete an employment background check, you must create a background check policy, train HR, notify applicants, obtain written consent from the candidate, individually assess convictions, and complete the adverse action process.
- You must also comply with federal, state, and local laws.
What is a Restaurant Manager Background Check?
A background check for a restaurant manager involves performing relevant searches for information about an applicant’s criminal record, as well as their employment, education, and credit history. This helps confirm the applicant is qualified, suitable, trustworthy, and safe.
Why are Background Checks Important for the Restaurant Industry?
Restaurants often operate on tight margins with high food costs. Internal theft is a prevalent problem within the hospitality industry.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners found that the median loss suffered by hospitality companies from employee theft in recent years was $100,000, an amount that many restaurants can’t afford to absorb.
Restaurant managers are key employees who have significant responsibilities in ensuring a restaurant operates properly, including the following duties:
- Inventory tracking and management
- Hiring and firing front-line employees
- Scheduling employees
- Making sure the restaurant has adequate coverage in peak hours
- Managing food and labor costs
- Promptly addressing issues
- Managing the budget and monitoring sales
- Supervising employees
- Ensuring good customer service
- Maintaining high-quality control standards
- Ensuring compliance with food safety regulations
- Maintaining a sanitary environment
Background checks help to ensure candidates are honest, competent, and qualified for the position.
This can help you make informed hiring decisions and protect workplace safety at your restaurant.
What Does a Restaurant Manager Background Check Show?
Most employers ask for the following reports:
Criminal History
A criminal background check allows you to confirm whether an applicant has a potentially disqualifying criminal record and reports the following information about convictions or pending criminal matters:
- Criminal case number
- Offense date
- Type of offense
- Severity level (misdemeanor/felony)
- Disposition
- Disposition date
- Sentence information (if available)
While not all convictions disqualify applicants from restaurant manager jobs, hiring someone with certain convictions such as thefts, sexual offenses, or violent crimes could expose your organization to significant negligent hiring liability risks.
Identity Verification
Identity verification is a search that background check providers perform to ensure an applicant is who they say they are and that the records found belong to them.
This search helps you avoid hiring someone who isn’t legally authorized to work in the U.S. or has assumed someone else’s identity.
It also prevents confusing an applicant with someone who has a similar name.
Employment History
Employment verification discloses the following information about an applicant’s past jobs:
- Name and address of each employer
- Employment dates
- Positions and job titles
Verifying the employment information an applicant reports on their resume helps you confirm that your candidates are honest and have the experience needed to perform their job duties.
Education Verification
Education verification discloses the following details about an applicant’s education:
- Schools attended with addresses
- Attendance dates
- Degrees or diplomas earned
Failing to complete education verification could result in hiring someone who doesn’t have the requisite knowledge and skills and could expose your company to liability risks.
Reference Checks
Checking applicants’ professional references allows you to gain insight into their performance, skills, experience, and work ethic.
Develop a strong set of reference questions to increase the value of your checks.
Professional Certification Verification
If your state or organization requires restaurant managers to hold certifications in food safety and management, a professional certification verification reports the following information about their credentials:
- Certificate number
- Certificate validity
- Issuance date
- Certificate type
- Expiration date
- Public sanctions, revocations, or suspensions
Completing this type of check ensures your new hire is qualified and has the necessary certifications for the job.
Completing a professional certification verification helps your organization maintain regulatory compliance and avoid potential penalties.
Know Before You Hire
How to Conduct Background Checks for New or Existing Hires
1. Develop a Company Background Check Policy
Develop a comprehensive background check policy that tracks all legal requirements under federal and state law.
Describe the types of searches you’ll perform based on the job’s duties and level of authority.
Ensure your background checks are uniform for all applicants applying to the same position level to prevent unconscious bias.
2. Train HR Staff
Once you’ve created an effective policy, train the personnel who will conduct background checks on the steps to take before, during, and after the process.
3. Notify Applicants and Get Written Consent
To comply with the FCRA’s notice and consent rules, you must disclose your organization conducts background checks and provide this notice on a standalone form.
Obtain your applicants’ signed consent before initiating the process.
4. Partner with the Right Background Check Service
For high-quality information, you must partner with the right background check provider.
A reliable service should always comply with the law and return accurate, current, and comprehensive reports quickly.
At iprospectcheck, our access to quality data information sources and advanced research methodologies allows us to return FCRA-compliant, accurate background checks to our clients.
5. Choose Relevant Background Searches
Choose searches relevant to the jobs you are hiring for.
We offer multiple packages and add-on searches so you can customize your background checks and avoid paying for unnecessary information.
6. Keep Open Communication Lines With Applicants Throughout the Process
Keeping candidates informed throughout the process helps maintain their interest.
When you receive your reports, review them carefully.
If you’re satisfied with the results, contact the candidate to schedule onboarding and a start date.
If the background check reveals troubling information, proceed through the next steps.
7. Individually Assess Convictions
A criminal conviction shouldn’t be an automatic bar to employment at your restaurant.
Instead, individually assess a conviction as it relates to the job’s duties and workplace safety before basing a decision not to hire a candidate on that information.
8. Complete the Adverse Action Process Before Denying Employment
If you decide not to hire someone because of information reported in a background check, the FCRA requires you to complete the adverse action process, including:
- Send a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report that contains the negative information.
- Provide a reasonable time to respond, which is typically five business days.
- Send a final adverse action notice with a copy of the applicant’s FCRA rights if you ultimately decide to deny employment.
Legal Compliance
Federal Laws
Fair Credit Reporting Act
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal consumer privacy law enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
This law applies to consumer reporting agencies (CRAs), which include companies that conduct employment background checks, and employers.
The FCRA contains a seven-year restriction on the ability of CRAs to report the following information when it is seven or more years old when a job pays less than $75,000 annually:
- Arrests that didn’t end in convictions
- Debt collections
- Paid tax liens
- Chapter 13 bankruptcies (10 years for Chapter 7)
- Civil lawsuits
- Civil judgments
The seven-year reporting rule doesn’t apply when a job pays $75,000 or more or to conviction records, employment history, education, and other relevant information.
Under the FCRA, employers must notify applicants that they conduct background checks and must put the notice on a separate form without other information included.
They must also secure their applicant’s written consent before starting a background check.
When an employer receives negative information about an applicant on a background check and doesn’t want to hire them because of it, they must complete the adverse action process before making a final hiring decision.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is an anti-discrimination law enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
This law prohibits workplace discrimination based on an applicant’s or employee’s protected characteristics during all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring.
According to employer guidance issued by the EEOC, employers must individually assess convictions as they relate to job duties and workplace safety before basing a decision not to hire an applicant because of a criminal record.
State Laws
State laws vary and frequently change, so it’s important to understand the laws where you operate.
Many states and local governments have passed ban-the-box laws, which control when you can inquire about an applicant’s criminal history in the hiring process.
In some states, you only have to wait until the first interview, but in others, you can’t ask about a criminal record until after you have made a conditional employment offer.
Similarly, a growing number of states have restricted the use of pre-employment credit history checks unless you meet one of their allowed exceptions.
Because of these and other laws, consult legal counsel to understand your requirements.
Choose iprospectcheck for Reliable and Fast Background Checks
Conducting background checks on restaurant manager applicants can help you make better hiring decisions and ensure your new hires are capable, qualified, and trustworthy.
At iprospectcheck, we conduct thousands of background checks for restaurants and other hospitality industry employers across the U.S.
To learn more about our background check services and obtain a free quote, call us today: (888) 509-1979.
DISCLAIMER: The resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Consult your counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.
FAQs
How far back do restaurant manager background checks go?
How far back a background check for a restaurant manager goes depends on the searches you select, the salary, and state laws.
The FCRA’s seven-year time restriction applies to jobs paying less than $75,000 per year for the following types of information:
- Arrests not resulting in convictions
- Chapter 13 bankruptcies (10 years for Chapter 7)
- Paid tax liens
- Debt collections
- Civil lawsuits and judgments
Jobs that pay more than $75,000 are not subject to the seven-year restriction, and the FCRA’s limitation also doesn’t apply to criminal convictions, employment history, education, license information, and other relevant searches.
Certain states have laws that limit the reporting of convictions. For example, Colorado has a law that restricts the reporting of conviction records to no more than seven years from the date the applicant was released from parole, prison, or probation.
While you could ostensibly ask for employment and education records dating back to when your applicant turned 18, most employers only ask for information from the last three to five years.
What disqualifies someone on a restaurant manager background check?
Many things appearing on a background check could be used to deny employment.
The following are the most common reasons an applicant might be turned down for a job:
- Misrepresentations about employment and experience
- Lies about education
- Failed pre-employment drug test
- Disqualifying criminal convictions such as theft or assault
Can a restaurant manager be hired with a criminal record?
Yes, a restaurant manager with a criminal record can be hired.
You shouldn’t have a blanket policy to deny applicants with criminal records because your business might violate Title VII with this type of approach.
Instead, individually assess convictions you find concerning the manager position’s duties and workplace safety concerns.
