As the owner of a restaurant, you should consider providing your key personnel with employment contracts. The employment contract will provide the employee with job security, will clarify all of the conditions and duties of employment, and will create a contractual obligation for them to be employed for the term of the contract.
GENERAL RULE: While there is no required form that the contract must take, certain key provisions should be included, such as the (i) term (i.e. length of employment), (ii) compensation, (iii) employees duties and obligations, (iv) confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete, and non-solicit provisions, and (v) grounds for termination or a Just Cause clause.
The more detail contained in the contract, the less room for disagreement during the employment period. As an owner, be sure to have the Just Cause clause worded in a manner that allows you to terminate the employee during the term, without any penalty, if the employee engages in negligence, misconduct, excessive absences, drug use, theft, fraud, fails to perform his duties in a professional manner, performs an act or omission of an act that could be deemed injurious to the company financially or to its reputation, or is convicted (or a plea of no contest) of any misdemeanor or felony.