NRF Says Economy ‘Being Rebalanced’ but ‘Extreme Cooling Off’ Seems Unlikely

The Federal Reserve faces “a tricky job” in addressing inflation but continuing growth in employment, wages and consumer spending make it unlikely the effort will backfire into a major setback for the economy, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“With changes underway that focus on taming inflation without splintering the economy, the nation’s economic system is in the process of being rebalanced in ways that are testing its resilience,” Kleinhenz said. “This is an extraordinary period with unprecedented factors that include inflation at a..."

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...