Key takeaways
- Staffing a franchise starts with the right award classification for each role — get this wrong and every pay run is wrong.
- Hire for your actual trade pattern, not a fixed headcount, and balance the casual/permanent mix deliberately.
- Roster to demand from week one so labour cost lands on your sector benchmark from the start.
- Accurate rostering, time tracking and award-based pay keep you compliant and protect your margin.
You’ve signed the franchise agreement and the fit-out is underway — now you need a team. Staffing a new franchise well is what turns a good site into a profitable one, because labour is the biggest cost you’ll control once you open. Done right, it means the correct people, on the correct award rates, rostered to your actual trade. Done wrong, it means underpayment risk, no-shows and a wage bill that quietly eats your margin. This guide walks through staffing a franchise step by step, and how franchise workforce management keeps the whole thing under control.
Staffing a franchise, step by step
- 1. Classify:
Match every role to the correct award classification before you advertise
- 2. Hire:
Recruit to your trade pattern with the right casual/permanent mix
- 3. Onboard:
Contracts, pay rates and compliant records from day one
- 4. Roster to demand:
Match staffing to actual sales so labour cost lands on benchmark
Step 1: Classify every role under the right award
Before you advertise a single job, work out which modern award covers your staff and what classification each role sits in. Quick-service franchises usually fall under the Fast Food Industry Award, restaurants under the Restaurant Award, and retail under the General Retail Award. Classification sets the base rate, and it flows into casual loading, junior rates and penalty rates.
This is the step that most often goes wrong — and misclassification means every pay run is wrong, creating back-pay liability. If you’re not sure which award or level applies, work through how to find which award applies before you hire.
Step 2: Hire for your trade pattern
Don’t hire a fixed headcount — hire for the shape of your week. A quick-service store needs more people across lunch, dinner and weekends and fewer mid-morning. Map your expected trade first, then recruit a team that can cover the peaks without carrying idle hours in the troughs.
The casual versus permanent mix is a deliberate decision, not a default. Casuals give you flexibility and cost a 25% loading; permanents give you reliability and accrue leave. Most franchises run a core of permanents plus a casual bench for peaks — see casual vs permanent rostering for the trade-offs.
Step 3: Onboard compliantly from day one
Get the paperwork right before the first shift: a written employment contract with the correct classification and pay rate, tax and super details, and HR onboarding records. From the first pay run you’ll also need accurate time records — salaried and casual staff alike — so hours, breaks and penalty rates can be paid and evidenced correctly with time and attendance tracking.
Step 4: Roster to demand from week one
This is where staffing meets profit. A new franchise should roster to its actual demand from the first week rather than copy the same template every week. Match staffing to your sales pattern, keep hours off penalty windows where you can, and you’ll land on your sector’s labour benchmark instead of drifting over it. Our step-by-step guides to creating a roster, rostering hospitality staff and rostering retail staff cover the mechanics.
Set your labour target before you open
Decide your target labour cost percentage up front — around 20–25% for quick-service, 25–30% for casual dining — and roster to it from day one. The franchise labour cost calculator lets you model wages against expected sales so you open on budget, and rostering software that shows live wage cost as you schedule keeps you there.
Staffing across multiple sites
If you grow to more than one location, staffing gets harder: separate staff pools, employees who work across sites at different rates, and a labour budget per store. That’s a different discipline — see multi-site rostering for franchise operators — and it’s exactly what RosterElf’s franchise workforce management is built to handle. For the bigger picture, see how much it costs to open a franchise and whether franchises are profitable.
Staff your franchise on budget from day one. RosterElf builds your roster with award rates applied automatically, shows live wage cost against forecast sales, and lets staff manage availability and shifts from their phones. Start by modelling your team with the free franchise labour cost calculator.
Related RosterElf resources
Franchise labour cost calculator
Which award applies?
How to create a roster
Franchise workforce management
HR & onboarding
Rostering software
Disclaimer
This article is general information, not legal, employment or franchising advice. Award classifications, rates and obligations change — always confirm current requirements with Fair Work and seek professional advice for your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start staffing a new franchise?
Start by identifying which modern award covers your staff and classifying each role, then hire to your expected trade pattern, onboard with compliant contracts and records, and roster to demand from the first week. Getting the award classification right first prevents pay errors down the line.
How many staff do I need to run a franchise?
It depends on your format and trade pattern rather than a fixed number. Map your expected sales across the week and staff the peaks — lunch, dinner and weekends for food franchises — without carrying idle hours in the quiet periods. Model the wage bill with the franchise labour cost calculator.
What award covers franchise staff in Australia?
It depends on the business: quick-service franchises are usually covered by the Fast Food Industry Award, restaurants by the Restaurant Award, and retail by the General Retail Award. If you’re unsure, work through how to find which award applies.
Should I hire casual or permanent staff for my franchise?
Most franchises run a core of permanent staff for reliability plus a casual bench for peaks. Casuals cost a 25% loading but give flexibility; permanents accrue leave but provide stability. The right mix depends on how predictable your trade is — see casual vs permanent rostering.
How do I keep labour costs under control when opening?
Set a target labour cost percentage before you open and roster to it from week one — matching staffing to actual demand and keeping hours off penalty windows where you can. Rostering software that shows live wage cost against sales makes hitting the target routine.
