Hospitality & Restaurant Headhunters Rooted in ServiceWe partner with independent, corporate and luxury hospitality enterprises to find that perfect candidate.
At Hospitality Confidential, we’re passionate about the growth, longevity, and welfare of the hospitality community and industry. That’s why, as leading hospitality and restaurant headhunters, we help source top talent who align with your core values, business goals, long-term vision and growth plans.
And we do it with the same 5-star service you covet and uphold in your own operation.
Our Approach to Hospitality Recruitment
With 25+ years of combined experience to guide us, we proudly deliver on our promise to provide top-tier service that’s thoughtful, meaningful and collaborative. But don’t just take our word for it; 125+ clients have all left us 5-star reviews.
When conducting our executive searches, here’s what you can expect from the Hospitality Confidential recruiters (besides our undivided attention):
Meet the Team
Hanae Suk Bragg, CPRW (she/her)
CEO & Founder
For Hanae, it’s all about disrupting the status quo for a better hospitality future.
Through her recruiting expertise, she shares her joy and passion for cultivating talent in people-powered businesses. She pairs ethical, inclusive and community-conscious recruitment practices with results-oriented hiring processes to create impact, value and progress for the hospitality industry and F&B community.
Hanae began her journey in hospitality with professional culinary training from Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar, a renowned school in San Sebastian, Spain. She accepted culinary and operational opportunities in fine dining and Michelin-star restaurants, including Innovative Dining Group’s BOA Steakhouse, Dominick’s est. 1948, Spago Beverly Hills, Michael Voltaggio’s Ink., and Akelarre by Pedro Subijana.
These roles led her to her passion for talent acquisition. After working at premier boutique recruiting firms, she founded her own with a vision for elevating the client, jobseeker, and employee experience. Hospitality Confidential opened its doors in 2021.
Hanae has expertly matched hundreds of job seekers with employers nationwide and overseas. She currently serves on the board of advisors to Another Round Another Rally, a non-profit assisting hospitality workers in crisis. She is a CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) and member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC). Hanae has also previously served on the Program Advisory Committee for the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena and is certified in both Unconscious Bias and Optimizing Diversity in Teams. Most recently, she has been elected to the board for Entrepreneur’s Organization Accelerator.
A Korean-American woman with a fierce entrepreneurial spirit, Hanae is committed to supporting her client partners in building visionary workplaces. When she’s not leading her team and growing her company, she fosters rescue dogs, is a strategy gamer, and is a passionate cinephile.
Alex Griffin (she/her)
Lead Executive Recruiter
Born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, CA, Alex Griffin graduated with a degree in English from the University of California, Irvine. While there, she managed the campus Starbucks, which is one of the busiest licensed stores in the country! Needless to say, her passion for the hospitality industry sparked early.
Her love for connecting with others made for a seamless career transition to recruitment. Since then, she has excelled in providing talent acquisition services for notable tech companies including Magnopus, Supernatural, and most recently, Meta!
Alex is certified in Optimizing Diversity in Teams, Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting & Interviewing. When she's not meticulously serving our clients and job seekers, Alex enjoys quality time with her Corgi/Terrier mix, Mochi, and baking. She's famous (in her friend group) for her apple pie.
And as if all these talents weren’t enough, Alex is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do!
Lindsey Miller (she/her)
Recruitment Associate
An Angeleno by birth, Lindsey was introduced to the curious and wonderful world of restaurants at a young age shadowing her father in his successful career in food service distribution.
She officially started her recruitment career after graduating from American Jewish University with a B.A. in Business. Her career quickly blossomed working for HR, executive search, and recruitment agencies such as: 4D Executive Search, Link2USA, and HIRECLOUT where she held a Lead Recruiter and Client Success Manager title.
Since joining the team at Hospitality Confidential, she has been thrilled to help the type of businesses she came to know during her childhood, grow and scale through the recruitment of exceptional talent!
Lindsey is certified in Optimizing Diversity in Teams & Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting & Interviewing.
When she’s not behind the desk supporting her clients and candidates, you’ll most likely find her at Dodger Stadium, playing with her dog, Penny, or exploring the city in search of some great sushi!
Michele Rhodes (she/her)
Recruitment Associate
With more than a decade in leadership, sales, recruitment, and operations in various sectors including healthcare and hospitality, Michele brings a meticulous, high-urgency approach to every search she leads. She’s known for delivering on her word and building trusted, long-term relationships that stand the test of time.
Michele’s worldview was shaped by her experiences living across the U.S. and internationally, including a formative chapter in Northern Italy and a year in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
For Michele, recruiting isn’t just a profession—it’s a purpose rooted in connection, compassion, and impact. She is also certified in the application of diversity and inclusion practices within recruitment.
Michele is energized by solving hiring challenges, uncovering hidden talent, and making a lasting difference in people’s lives and careers—one placement at a time. Michele is a huge animal lover and is known for rescuing them! She is currently a loving dog mom to an adorable Chihuahua mix named Tater Tot.
Ashley Foz (she/her)
Recruitment Associate
Originally born in San Diego, CA, Ashley spent much of her upbringing overseas in Sigonella, Italy and Atsugi, Japan before returning to Southern California to finish school. There, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Business (Human Resources and Management)—laying the foundation for a dynamic and versatile career in talent acquisition.
She got her start as a host and server in the restaurant world, where she fell in love with hospitality and the art of making people feel welcome—something she brings to every candidate interaction. With recruitment experience spanning agency, internal, and startup environments, Ashley has recruited across a wide range of industries. Her adaptability and strategic mindset have allowed her to thrive in fast-paced, high-growth settings, always with a focus on people-first solutions
She is certified in Optimizing Diversity in Teams and Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting & Interviewing, and is passionate about empowering both candidates and companies.
Outside of work, Ashley is a Certified Personal Trainer who channels her energy into wellness, home-cooked meals, and quality time with her family. She loves preparing delicious dishes for her husband, friends, and loved ones—and is usually accompanied by her two cats, Chadwick and Phoebe, and her rambunctious Pomsky, Otis!
Our Recruiting Process
Hospitality Confidential is a low-volume, high-touch hospitality and restaurant recruitment agency. As strategic advisors to our partners, we offer exclusive and premium hiring solutions, from administrative support, sourcing and interviewing – all the way to offer negotiations.
Our Clients
We partner with small independent, mid-sized, corporate and luxury hospitality enterprises across the United States.
Spreading the Joy
Bringing joy to our clients and job seekers is our bread and butter.
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Jake Hill, Director of Operations, Hills Resort
“The professionalism and dedication of Alex, the recruiter assigned to our case, was outstanding. We were also particularly impressed with hands-on involvement of Hospitality Confidential’s founder, Hanae through every step of the process. Hanae & Alex, both of whom instrumental in finding our new Front of House Director, were a pleasure to team up with. Their thorough process led us to an exceptional candidate who has been a true godsend—highly professional and incredibly hardworking. We are looking forward to using them again when it comes to hiring senior members of our staff.“
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Chef Casey Felton, Former Owner of Banh Oui, 2022 James Beard Semifinalist
“Hospitality Confidential is an incredible resource when hiring key players can feel so daunting. Hanae has an incredible work ethic, remarkable intuition, and progressive approach to the type of recruitment our industry needs urgently. Her first hand experience working in restaurants enable her to understand what her clients really need.”
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Caitlin Cutler, Owner, Ronan
“I can’t speak highly enough about Hanae & Hospitality Confidential. I’ve worked with them to fill two very different roles in two very different markets. They delivered above and beyond both times. They listen and offer great advice given their understanding of the industry and current trends. The value of their services is not only in the time they save the client, but also the ongoing belief of having hired the right person for YOUR business and the culture you’re building!”
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Andy Lee, Chef/Founder, Nanoom Dining
“Hanae is a talented and passionate person who truly made me feel like she understood my position as her client. I’m always impressed with her ability to anticipate the changing needs of my organization before I even communicate it. I’ve worked with her on both sides and she truly is a gem.”
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Sandra Cordero, Chef/Owner of Gasolina Cafe & Xuntos, Co-Founder
“Hospitality Confidential was an absolute pleasure to work with! They were so thorough and every candidate presented was top notch. I can’t say enough about how they guided us through the process… super hands on, always checking, and truly understands what the business needs. Gracias!’
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Raina Lewis, Former Director of Operations, Cafe Gratitude & Gracias Madre
"Hanae is a fantastic partner and has provided me with some of the top talent in our organization. Her methodical and organized approach yields amazing results. I know when I get a candidate from Hanae, that they are top tier. In addition, she's easy to work with, communicative and clear. I can't recommend her highly enough."
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Kwini Reed, Owner, Poppy & Rose / Poppy & Seed / Root of all Food Catering
“Hospitality Confidential saved my life! After 2020, finding qualified management for our businesses has been tough. We spent thousand of dollars on Indeed and other hiring sites without any luck for over a yer. They took great care in getting to know us and treated the search as if it was for their own company. Painless, swift… we hired not 1 but 2 rockstar GMs from them to keep growing and scaling! Words can’t express my gratitude for their partnership!”
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Jerry Garbus, Vice President of Retail & Restaurant Operations, Santa Monica Seafood
“Hanae Suk Bragg has been an extraordinary resource for recruiting high caliber candidates for our restaurant concepts. Her prior experience in operations coupled with a sharp and thoughtful approach has made our partnership extremely valuable. Hanae is extremely open and responsive to feedback, an excellent communicator, and clearly passionate about doing excellent work. She's a gem!”
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Chef/Owner of Gasolina Cafe & Xuntos, Co-Founder
“Hospitality Confidential was an absolute pleasure to work with! They were so thorough and every candidate presented was top notch. I can’t say enough about how they guided us through the process… super hands on, always checking, and truly understands what the business needs. Gracias!’
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Danielle Duran Zecca, Chef and Owner, Amiga Amore, 2024 James Beard Emerging Chef Semi-Finalist
“Hanae and her team have a great eye in finding the missing puzzle piece to your restaurant needs. They have a proven track record in recruiting top chef and culinary talent nationwide! From Hanae's own experience working in professional kitchens, she knows what to look for and qualities that make the candidate stand out. The whole team is always easy to work with and knowledgeable!”
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Josiah Salerno, Former Global Director of Operations, The Madera Group
"I've had the pleasure of working with CEO & Founder, Hanae Suk Bragg, for the last five years. Not only as a candidate seeking employment opportunities, but also as a client. When it comes to recruiting for specific positions within your organization, there is no one better than Hanae and her team. Her hands on approach and thoughtfulness set Hospitality Confidential apart from the rest. I will be working with them for years to come!"
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Luke Tedeschi, Owner
“Working with Hanae and Alex at Hospitality Confidential was a pleasure from the first phone call. I'm a restaurant owner and operator in Nantucket Massachusetts and they are in LA but might as well have been next door. They listened to my needs and executed in a very timely manner, with professionalism and courtesy. The comfort of their assistance in recruiting chefs is something I could not have done without them. Presenting me a small handful of qualified people that fit my very specific needs without having to vet all the ones that didn't meet my expectations was invaluable. “
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Jessica Schmidt, Director of Operations, Little Dom's and Little Dom's Seafood
“Such a pleasure to work with. It was so nice to work with someone who really understands hospitality in an applicable sense, rather than just budgets and placement. From BOH to FOH management needs, communication was easy and retention has been excellent. Highly recommend.“
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Matt Kust, Franchise Business Consultant, Chester's International
“I can't say enough about how amazing Alex was to work with. She has been one of the most professional recruiters I've ever interacted with. Her communication was top notch and she was always available whenever it was convenient for me to chat with her. I'm so thankful she reached out to me. I highly recommend working with her when going through Hospitality Confidential. Thank you so much for a great experience!”
Our Core Values
These values are the foundation for our success.
Competing with your PR
Extreme Accountability
Relentless in The Pursuit of Winning for our Clients
Empathy & Integrity Driven Practices
Celebrate Diversity
Recruitment Geeks Only
We Can’t Wait to be of Service
Whether you’re an employer or job seeker, our restaurant, beverage and food industry executive recruiters look forward to helping you and your business rise to the top.