A majority of the nation’s restaurants don’t have enough employees to staff all shifts, creating a major recruiting and hiring challenge. Scheduling and interviewing candidates can be a major management bottleneck. To solve the problem, restaurants are trying a variety of ways to make the hiring process easier.
Give AI a try.
Some restaurant operators are integrating AI into recruitment. Landed is an automated program used by McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Blaze Pizza, and other chains to hire hourly workers. The program uses AI for applicant tracking and text messaging for managing interviews. Landed has sharply reduced no-shows among interviewees at Blaze Pizza.
Southern Rock Restaurants LLC has used a hiring program called Paradox. It uses an applicant tracking system employing an avatar named Savannah, who talks with applicants in a way that feels familiar to young applicants. The avatar asks three brief screening questions. Based on the answers, the system schedules candidates for interviews and reminds them an hour in advance of the time and date. Southern Rock also has tailored messaging about its culture to the preferences of young workers, using a tagline, “Have fun, no regrets.”
Engage on social media.
A majority of fast-food hourly employees are Gen Zers who respond to short, personalized videos on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Experts advise showcasing appealing aspects of your company culture and work environment attractive to young recruits.
Sweeten the pot.
Chipotle has offered its employees $200 for a referral of anyone hired as a crew member. In addition to the cash reward, the employee gets to work with friends, a significant incentive for
young employees. Chipotle also introduced new benefits, including a retirement savings plan and a tuition reimbursement program with a 4% employer match to help make student loan payments.
Offering flexible hours is another appealing incentive for young applicants. Some employees appreciate a compressed work week, providing more days off in exchange for longer shifts on days worked. Since a majority of applicants for hourly jobs are now members of Gen Z, hiring managers will have to continually evolve to satisfy these younger workers’ desire for quality of work life and upbeat, collaborative workplace cultures.