Where Exceptional Talent Meets
Extraordinary Hospitality.
We don't just fill roles. We find the extraordinary talent your business has been looking for. The kind no one else can deliver.
The Most Expensive Hire You'll Ever Make Is the One You Have to Make Twice.
Replacing a General Manager or Executive Chef averages $50,000 in hidden costs: job boards, training, overtime, lower guest satisfaction, and team morale, not to mention lost revenue while the position is vacant.
Overtime. A team stretched past its limit. Inconsistent service that your guests notice before you do.
Only 5 to 15 percent of your targeted talent pool will ever see your ads. The other 85 to 95 percent are excelling in their current roles and not looking at ads. Guess what: those are the people you want.
I have sourced several above-store regional operators from Willow Tree over the past three years, specifically curated based on Ike's operational needs and culture. Their recruiters are high-touch, flexible, and really get a feel for their clients' needs. Five stars for their partnership and results.
A Different Kind of Recruiting Firm. Built on a Different Foundation.
While most firms submit 20 resumes and hope one lands, Willow Tree is doing something fundamentally different.
Willow Tree's strategic approach is shaped by founder Stephanie Yee's background at Stanford, Wharton, The Boston Consulting Group, and leading $200 to $500M businesses at Gap Inc. With over 50 years of collective hospitality experience, Willow Tree has the passion, experience, and expertise to find the best talent for your business.
Willow Tree evaluates the entire market, not just the 5 to 15 percent actively seeking roles. Using a proprietary sourcing process, a database of over 55,000 hospitality professionals, and direct outreach to top leaders, we identify candidates your job postings will never reach.
Willow Tree delivers, on average, 4 to 6 highly qualified candidates for your role, resulting in an 80% hire rate from the candidates presented. That's not a marketing claim. It's a direct function of the process: deep discovery, targeted sourcing, and multi-faceted vetting that happens before a candidate ever hits your desk.
Clients hire from the first five candidates presented
vs. running the search internally
Hospitality leaders, including passive talent ads can't reach
If a placed leader leaves within 60 days, we replace them at no cost
The Willow Tree Top Talent Framework™
A Process Built for Quality, Not Volume
Standard agencies play a volume game, hoping one sticks. Willow Tree works differently.
Before sourcing candidates, we immerse ourselves in your business: your culture, growth goals, and the factors that drive leaders to succeed or fail in your environment. Most agencies skip this step; for us, it's essential.
We help you make the role irresistible to the best candidates by shaping a compelling offer, highlighting what sets your opportunity apart, and identifying candidates who aren't the right fit.
We target top talent already excelling in their roles, leveraging our database of over 55,000 hospitality leaders and industry networks to recruit high performers who aren't actively job hunting but are the right fit for you.
We thoroughly vet each candidate for leadership ability, cultural fit, and essential traits beyond the resume. Then, we present the top 4 to 6 for you to choose from. You hire the best one.
Built for the Full Spectrum of Hospitality Leadership. Willow Tree brings deep expertise supporting every role within your organization, from restaurant leadership to corporate teams, serving clients across all major U.S. markets.
- GM, Manager, Sommelier, Bar Director
- Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Kitchen Manager
- C-Level, VP, HR, Operations, Finance, Construction, Real Estate, Sales, Marketing
West: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix
Mid: Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Austin
East: New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Miami
Flexible Engagements.
An Extension of Your Business.
Willow Tree is agile and adaptable, using a tailored approach to meet each client's needs.
Contingency
No Upfront CostBest for casual dining, fast casual, and QSR roles. No upfront cost. You pay only when we make the placement.
Retained and Exclusive
Dedicated PartnershipBest for fine dining, senior leadership, and Director-level and above. We serve as your dedicated search partner from day one, with full commitment on both sides.
Advisory and Strategy
Consulting LevelFor operators who need market intelligence, compensation benchmarking, or a strategic talent roadmap without a full search engagement. Consulting-level partnership on your timeline.
What Our Partners Say.
The Strategic Depth to Elevate It.
Stephanie Yee brings something rare to hospitality recruiting: a genuine passion for food and restaurants, combined with the business education and experience to deliver deep industry insight with the strategic rigor of someone who has run, scaled, and transformed businesses at the highest level.
That foundation gives Willow Tree a perspective that goes beyond placing candidates. It's the ability to understand what a restaurant group truly needs at a strategic level and find the leadership talent to help them get there.
After nearly five years in hospitality recruiting, Stephanie founded Willow Tree in 2022 with a simple belief: every part of your restaurant environment: the employee, the team, the culture, the guest experience. It all performs better when the right leader is in the room.
Confessions of a Hospitality Headhunter
If you've ever lost critical talent and felt the whole operation wobble for months afterward, this is for you.
After 200-plus placements across fast casual, fine dining, and corporate groups, we've learned what drives turnover, what stops it, and what most operators never hear. We put five of those lessons into one honest, no-fluff guide.
Ready to Find the Leader Your Business Deserves?
Stop reacting to turnover. Start building the leadership foundation your business needs to grow. Book a free 30-minute Discovery Call and let's talk about what's possible.
Book Your Discovery Call