Hiring Directly
There are plenty of online directories where freelance hospitality professionals can advertise their services. Usually, you can preview details such as the freelancer’s photos, experience, possibly see a rating, or read testimonials from their past clients. Some list their rates upfront, for others you can request a quote.
The main advantage of hiring a waitress for hire or a bartending services attendant directly is that it could be cost-saving. Although be mindful that some platforms charge usage or booking fees that might be added to your freelancer’s rate.
The disadvantage, however, is that it could be very hard to verify the information listed online. If your event is smaller, less formal, and does not have a complicated setup and flow, hiring one or two freelance servers for hire sounds reasonable. But if it’s a very important occasion that calls for a formal and timely service, you might want to look elsewhere.
Hiring through a Banquet Server Temp Agency
When planning an event with a specific timeline, a few dozen to a few hundred guests, possibly with more than one location and service style involved, it is much safer to entrust the process to verified hospitality professionals. That’s when it makes sense to contact an established
banquet server temp agency in your area.
The advantages of hiring through a reputable agency include:
- Prescreened and carefully selected staff. Their experience should be verified and their personality evaluated for being a good match for hospitality roles.
- Insurance. It might be difficult to find a freelancer who has invested in insuring themselves. Then the responsibility falls on the event planners or hosts. When hiring through an agency, this aspect is taken care of.
- Professional uniformed look. This becomes especially noticeable when you’re hiring a large team of hospitality staff.
- Your personal point of contact (such as an Account Executive) who can answer all your questions and guide you through the process.
- A guarantee that if someone falls sick or needs a replacement for any other reason, the agency will handle this promptly.
In conclusion, we suggest that if you are having an informal friends-and-family gathering and are being cautious with your budget, try finding and contacting an individual server or bartender directly. Or ask your trusted friends for referrals. But for important and memorable occasions such as weddings, personal or business anniversaries, or formal fundraising events go with a verified hospitality staff agency.
At Julia Valler Event Staffing, a hospitality staffing NYC-based agency providing premier catering staffing services for NYC and surrounding areas since 2013, we are ready to answer all your staffing-related questions and put together an all-star hospitality staffing team for your next event.