Indeed and OpenTable Join Together to Accelerate US Restaurant Recovery

According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry is 1 million jobs below where it should be before the pandemic. That’s why, Indeed, the world’s number one job site, and OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, announced today the launch of Interview Days: Restaurant Jobs. This month-long U.S. hiring initiative, which begins on October 1st, aims to accelerate the recovery of the food and beverage industry by providing free hiring tools to help businesses and restaurateurs source, screen and host interviews. A new dedicated portal...

Amazon Announces Plans to Hire 125,000 Employees in Hundreds of Cities and Towns Across America

Amazon continues to provide opportunities for full-time and part-time jobs in logistics as it expands its footprint to better serve customers in communities where they live. Today, the company announced that it is providing an additional 125,000 local employment opportunities throughout the U.S., on top of the 40,000 corporate and technology jobs announced earlier this month. The roles in fulfillment and transportation offer an average starting wage of more than $18 per hour—and up to $22.50 per...

Papa John's Announces New Hiring, Referral and Appreciation Bonuses for Front-line Workers

Papa John’s International announced new hiring, referral and appreciation bonuses for its approximately 14,000 front-line team members in the company’s corporate restaurants and supply chain, recognizing again their essential role in the company’s record growth and industry outperformance. Papa John’s also plans to make additional investments in its full-time staff in its higher volume company-owned stores to support continued growth. The company expects to invest approximately $2.5 million in these initiatives during the remainder of 2021.

“The incredible hard work and commitment of our team members, which powered Papa John’s tremendous performance and transformation over the past 18 months, is just as important to...

Technomic's Take: Roadblock to Recovery for Restaurants

By all accounts, the restaurant industry is roaring back to life as vaccination distribution spreads, dine-in restrictions are lifted and improved weather throughout most of the country sends consumers flocking to restaurants to dine with friends and family. Operators are reporting same-store sales approaching, and in some cases exceeding, pre-pandemic levels as pent-up demand drives the dine-in surge and off-premise orders remain strong.

For restaurant operators eager to return to full capacity, however, significant headwinds remain as the restaurant industry struggles to fill jobs to meet this booming demand. The biggest challenge facing operators in this current recovery period is finding staff willing to work. There are numerous other factors that are impacting...

Kroger to Hire 10,000 Associates

Kroger announced it will host its first nationwide hybrid hiring event, including virtual and in-store interviews, on June 10. The goal of the event is to hire 10,000 associates supporting retail, e-commerce, pharmacy, manufacturing, and logistics operations.

"The Kroger Family of Companies is one of the largest employers in the country and our longstanding culture of opportunity has created an environment where many people, whether it be an intern, stocker, or pharmacy technician, come for a job and stay for a career," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer. "To continue advancing...

Consumer Confidence Holds Steady in May

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® held steady in May, following a gain in April. The Index now stands at 117.2 (1985=100), down marginally from 117.5 in April. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—increased from 131.9 to 144.3. However, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 99.1 in May, down from 107.9 last month.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on an online sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna, a technology company that delivers real-time consumer insights and market research through...

7-Eleven and Its Independent Franchisees Planning to Add 40,000 Jobs for Summer Peak Season

As it heads into its busiest time of year, 7-Eleven, Inc., and participating independent franchise owners are collectively recruiting as many as 40,000 new employees to fill positions at their more than 13,000 U.S. stores. This includes approximately 3,800 Speedway® stores recently acquired from Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

"Now that a growing number have received vaccines and the economy is opening back up, people are more than ready to get back to normal," said Chris Tanco, 7-Eleven Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "That includes finding steady jobs with future opportunities, and 7-Eleven, Speedway and...

7-Eleven and Its Independent Franchisees Planning to Add 40,000 Jobs for Summer Peak Season

As it heads into its busiest time of year, 7-Eleven, Inc., and participating independent franchise owners are collectively recruiting as many as 40,000 new employees to fill positions at their more than 13,000 U.S. stores. This includes approximately 3,800 Speedway® stores recently acquired from Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

"Now that a growing number have received vaccines and the economy is opening back up, people are more than ready to get back to normal," said Chris Tanco, 7-Eleven Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "That includes finding steady jobs with future opportunities, and 7-Eleven, Speedway and...

Sysco Offers Two New Foodie Solutions Toolkits as Summer Approaches

Sysco Corporation, a leading global foodservice distribution company, announced that it has launched two new online toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform. The Labor & Hiring and Summer Solutions Toolkits are the latest in a series of carefully curated tools to help foodservice operators succeed while generating additional revenue and meeting consumer expectations.

Labor & Hiring Toolkit – As restaurants reopen amidst a tight labor market, the Labor & Hiring toolkit provides a comprehensive resource for hiring, training and retaining restaurant employees, including tips such as taking action on employee feedback and offering incentives to improve retention. This comprehensive toolkit also features...

Chipotle Increases Wages and Provides Path to Six Figure Compensation

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it is increasing restaurant wages resulting in a $15 average hourly wage by the end of June. In addition to best-in-class benefits and a competitive hourly rate, Chipotle's crew members can advance to a Restaurateur, the highest General Manager position, in as little as three and a half years, with average compensation of $100,000 while leading a multi-million-dollar growing business.

The wage increases for new and existing hourly and salaried restaurant employees will be rolled out over the next few weeks and will result in hourly crew member starting wages ranging from $11-$18 per hour.

Chipotle has also introduced...

KFC and Franchisees Hiring 20,000 Restaurant Employees

Kentucky Fried Chicken announced strong Q1 earnings results last week, as customers increasingly chose the comfort and convenience of drive-thru, carry-out, and delivery of classics like KFC's Family Fill-Up and new offerings like the Kentucky Fried Chicken Sandwich. Now, as demand continues to grow, the fried chicken chain hopes to hire 20,000 permanent full-time and part-time company and franchisee restaurant positions across the nation.

KFC's strong earnings announcement highlighted 14 percent growth in Q1 and same-store sales growth of 11 percent on a two-year basis, highlighting the need to fill 20,000 permanent positions nationwide. The open positions will vary by restaurant but will include positions at all levels including...

McDonald’s Restaurants in Tennessee Seeking to Hire Approximately 8,000 Employees this Summer

McDonald’s owner-operators across the Greater Tennessee Valley are staffing up for the busy summer season. Local McDonald’s restaurants expect to hire approximately 3,100 restaurant employees in Nashville and surrounding areas in preparation to welcome back customers safely.

“As local owner-operators, we are always looking for outstanding people to join our McFamily,” said Gina Wolfe, local McDonald’s owner/operator and president of the McDonald’s Greater Tennessee Valley Operators Association. “We’re proud to equip our employees with...

Taco Bell Plans for Major Hiring Push in April

Taco Bell is preparing for continued restaurant growth and reopenings by launching its fourth annual Hiring Parties event on Wednesday, April 21. Converting parking lots into job fairs, these one-day events with on-the-spot interview opportunities will take place at almost 2,000 participating company and franchise-owned locations across the U.S. The goal is to hire at least 5,000 new team members from this year’s Hiring Parties.

Adhering to COVID-19 safety precautions, this year’s Hiring Parties will be held outside, in creative locations like patio areas—some candidates may even be able to participate in...

What’s Next in Labor and Employment Law for the Meat and Retail Industries

Labor and employment issues including healthcare and immigration have immediate effects on the meat and retail industries. In a virtual panel titled ‘What’s Next in Labor and Employment Law’ during the final day of the American Meat Conference, two speakers shared their expertise in labor law and policy.

Panelists John Linker, Partner, Labor and Employment, Akerman LLP; and Frederick Miner, Shareholder, Littler, explored the goals of the Biden Administration and the potential impacts on business. 

Miner began the panel by talking about the current labor landscape. We are entering a significant period of change in the world of labor employment, in which President Biden has promised to be the strongest labor President in our nation’s history. Under the new Administration, the current National Labor Relations Board consists of...

Over 40 U.S. States Lost Restaurant Jobs in December as Pandemic Continues to Hit Industry

The National Restaurant Association said the downward slide in restaurant business conditions continued in December 2020 with the bottom dropping out on restaurant employment in the month, with 400,000 jobs lost across the country.

State-by-state, 42 states and Washington, D.C. had job losses in the month with only 8 states seeing employment increases. The biggest loss came in California, losing 85,800 eating and drinking place jobs.

Michigan (-46,600), New York (-33,000) and Minnesota (-32,800) also shed a significant number of restaurant jobs in December, the Association shared...

National Restaurant Association Releases 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report

The National Restaurant Association released its 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report, which measures the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry and examines the current state of key pillars including technology and off-premises, labor, and menu trends across segments based on a survey of 6,000 restaurant operators and consumer preferences from a survey of 1,000 adults. The report also provides a look at the path to recovery for chains, franchises, and independents and the year of transition ahead.

Key findings regarding the impact of coronavirus on the restaurant industry include...