Food & Beverage Recruitment in Perth & WA
Food and beverage recruitment in WA demands a recruiter who understands the full spectrum of the industry, from fine dining kitchens and cellar doors to hotel F&B operations and high-volume catering. Cookatoo specialises in permanent food and beverage placements across Perth and the South West.
Get in TouchWhy Use Cookatoo to Recruit for Your Food & Beverage Venue?
The food and beverage sector in Western Australia is one of the state's most dynamic industries, spanning everything from independent restaurants and award-winning wineries to large hotel F&B departments and contract catering operations. What makes food and beverage recruitment in Perth particularly challenging is the breadth of the roles involved — a single F&B operation may need an Executive Chef who can run a brigade, a Food & Beverage Manager who understands revenue and cost control, a Sommelier who can educate guests without intimidating them, and a Beverage Manager who builds a drinks program that differentiates the venue. Finding permanent professionals who can operate at that standard, across all of those disciplines, is consistently one of the hardest challenges facing WA operators. Cookatoo recruits permanent food and beverage professionals across every level of the industry. We place Food & Beverage Managers, Executive Chefs, Sommeliers, Beverage Managers, Head Chefs, Restaurant Managers and senior kitchen staff in Perth's restaurants, hotels, resorts and cellar doors, as well as across WA's South West wine country and regional hospitality venues. We take the time to understand the specific food and beverage culture of each operation before presenting a shortlist — because the right person for a Margaret River winery restaurant is rarely the same as the right person for a high-volume Perth hotel. Every recommendation we make is permanent, personally vetted and backed by a no placement, no payment guarantee.
Cookatoo is a Perth-based hospitality recruitment agency founded by someone who has worked the industry from the ground up, starting as a dishwasher in Perth at 16, through to Michelin-starred kitchens in London. Every placement is permanent, and every recommendation is personal.
We don't fill seats. We find people who fit.
The Australian HR Institute found that 68 per cent of hospitality workers leave within their first year. A bad hire costs up to three times the role's annual salary, and key positions in WA sit unfilled for an average of six weeks. Permanent recruitment, done well, solves all three problems at once.
Permanent Only
No temp placements. We build teams that stay.
Industry-Led
Founded by a hospitality professional, not a generalist recruiter.
No Placement, No Fee
You only pay when we find the right person.
WA-Based
Local knowledge, state-wide reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Cookatoo charge for hospitality recruitment?+
Cookatoo operates on a no placement, no payment model. You only pay a fee when we successfully place a candidate. There are no upfront costs, retainers or ongoing fees.
How long does the recruitment process take?+
Most placements are completed within 2–4 weeks of taking a brief. We present a curated shortlist of personally vetted candidates rather than bulk CVs, reducing the time you spend screening.
What happens if a placement doesn't work out?+
All Cookatoo placements come with a rebate period. If a placed candidate leaves within the rebate window, we will conduct a replacement search at no additional cost.
Do you only recruit permanent roles?+
Yes — Cookatoo specialises exclusively in permanent hospitality placements across Perth and South West WA. Permanent recruitment builds teams that stay.
More Venue Types We Recruit For
Let's Talk About Your Next Hire.
Book a free 15-minute call or send an enquiry. We respond within one business day.