Opening a venue?Get crewed up.
Permanent kitchen and floor hires for new Melbourne venues. $2,490 flat per hire, and nothing to pay until they start.
How it works
You do the first call and the final choice. I do everything in between.
Tell me what you need
We talk for 10 minutes about the roles, the pay, your start date, and what your last good hire was like.
I find the candidates
I advertise where hospitality people look, in Facebook hospo groups, on Indeed and on Scout by Broadsheet, and ask around people I know in the industry.
Every candidate sends a video intro
You see a short video of each person, not just a CV. I screen each one with a quick chat before they reach you.
You meet a shortlist
Up to three people, with their videos and my notes on each. Interview them, trial them if you like, and decide.
- Optional
Opening? Hire the crew together
If you need several roles filled for your opening, I can line them up together so they start on the same day. Each hire is still $2,490.
They start, then you pay
I invoice $2,490 the day your hire starts as your employee, due 7 days later. They’re your employee from day one; I don’t employ or pay anyone.
One flat fee per permanent hire
$2,490
The same for a head chef or a floor lead. It doesn’t rise with the salary you offer, and no GST is added.
What a percentage agency would charge
An illustration, not a quote. Recruitment agencies in Melbourne commonly quote 10% to 25% of salary, with the higher rates for senior roles, according to published guides such as Alliance Recruitment Agency’s. Quotes vary by agency and role.
Nothing to pay until they start
The invoice goes out the day your hire starts work as your employee (a trial shift doesn’t count) and is due 7 days later. There is no deposit.
90-day replacement search
If your hire resigns or you let them go within 90 days of starting, I run one new search for the same role at no charge, once the invoice is paid. If that search hasn’t led to a hire within 8 weeks of starting it, I refund half the fee ($1,245). This applies once per hire.
Candidates never pay
Nobody pays to be put forward. The venue pays, once per hire.
No hire, no fee
If you don’t hire anyone I introduce, there is nothing to pay. If you hire one of them within 6 months of the introduction, the fee applies.
Before any search starts, I send you these terms in writing to confirm.
Who you’re dealing with
I’m Max Dixon, and Crewed Up is just me. It’s new, so you’d be one of the first venues I work with.
That’s why the fee is flat and you pay nothing until someone starts. Keep running your own ads while I search: you only pay if you hire someone I introduced.
I’ll only take on a few searches at a time, and you deal with me directly, from the first call to your hire’s first shift.
Max Dixonmax@crewedup.com.au0493 293 792
Questions you might have
Not covered here? Ask me on the call.
Which roles do you fill?
Permanent kitchen and floor roles: head chefs, sous chefs, chefs de partie, cooks, venue managers, baristas, bar and floor staff. I don’t supply casual or temp staff, and I don’t employ, roster or pay anyone. Your hire is your employee from day one.
Is it $2,490 for every hire?
Yes, $2,490 for each permanent hire you make through me. You choose which roles to hand over and hire the rest yourself. I’m not registered for GST, so none is added.
Can I keep running my own ads?
Yes. You only pay if you hire someone I introduced.
When should I start looking?
Earlier than feels necessary. Chef Hire, an Australian chef agency, suggests starting a head chef search 10 to 16 weeks before opening.
How long does a search take?
It depends on the role and the pay. I’ll give you a realistic timeframe on the call, before you commit to anything, and you pay nothing either way until someone starts.
What does the 90-day replacement search cover?
If your hire resigns or you let them go within 90 days of starting, I run one new search for the same role at no charge. The first invoice has to be paid, and the free search starts once it is. If that search hasn’t led to a hire within 8 weeks of starting it, I refund half the fee ($1,245). This applies once per hire.
How and when do I pay?
By bank transfer. I send an invoice for $2,490 the day your hire starts as your employee, due 7 days later. A trial shift doesn’t count as starting. No GST is added and there is no deposit.
What if I hire someone you introduced later on?
If you hire anyone I introduced within 6 months of the introduction, the $2,490 fee applies.
When are you taking new searches?
Until Monday 26 October 2026, and again from Thursday 19 November. Searches already under way keep going in between.
Ten minutes on the phone.
Tell me what you’re hiring for and when you open, and I’ll reply with a time to call. If I can’t help, I’ll say so.
Or call or text 0493 293 792