NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD
About this episode
Nichole Bajko discusses her unique approach to hospitality recruiting and shares insights on the industry.
Everybody calls them headhunters. Nichole calls herself a matchmaker — and after this conversation, you'll understand why that one word change says everything about how recruiting in hospitality is supposed to work. Nichole Bajko started in an Italian deli at 15, went to NIU for hospitality (mostly for the kegs and eggs, her words), did seven years with Marriott including opening The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas at 25, ran a restaurant and brewery in South Barrington, and is now about to start her fifth year at Source One Hospitality — a grassroots, referral-driven recruiting agency that doesn't use ads or AI to find people. Just conversations, a real network, and the belief that this industry is the biggest industry in the smallest world. We get into why Chicago is pretentious about outside talent, why the job you see on Indeed has 500 applicants AND is still open, the salary compression happening right now in the city, what actually gets someone from cook to sous chef (hint: it's not a better resume), and the impossible balance of being a mom in restaurant operations. She also drops her three Chicago picks and the story about meeting José Andrés in an elevator at 25. If you've…
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