The situation you are actually in
A chef has handed in notice. You have seven days. The diary is already written. Covers do not pause while you recruit. This is not a hiring strategy problem. It is a service continuity problem for the next fortnight.
Decide what you are covering
Write down the shifts you cannot leave empty: lunch, dinner, prep days, Friday and Saturday. Separate "nice to have a permanent person" from "this section falls over if nobody turns up". Cover the second list first.
If the leavers is a sous or head, name who owns the menu and the briefing for the week they are gone. Temp cover fails when nobody on the floor knows what "right" looks like.
What to brief an agency
Give the agency the role, the section, the service times, the dress code, and the one thing that goes wrong most often in that kitchen. Send a sample menu or a photo of the pass if you can. Vague briefs get vague people.
Say whether you need someone who can run the section alone, or someone who can hold a station under a strong sous. Those are different people.
What not to do
Do not promise the team a permanent replacement by Friday. You will not have one. Do not put an unbriefed temp on a busy Saturday without a named contact on the floor. Do not wait until Thursday afternoon to ask for Friday cover.
A simple week plan
- Day one: confirm the shifts you must fill and call for cover.
- Day two to three: interview or trial anyone you might keep longer term, in parallel with temp cover.
- Before each service: five minutes with the temp on allergens, plate counts and who to ask.
After the week
Once service is stable, decide whether you still want a permanent hire or a longer temp arrangement. Do not run on emergency cover for months without choosing. It burns the brigade and it costs more than planning.
If you want help with either path, call. The useful conversation is about the diary in front of you, not a generic recruitment pitch.