Restaurant Chains Get Creative to Recruit and Retain Employees

According to an article by CNBC, the current state of labor has entered a bit of a crunch—leading many big restaurant brands to come up with new ways to attract and retain talent.

The article states that Taco Bell hosted 600 hiring parties across the nation last month in an attempt to differentiate itself from the fast-food competition. And it paid off: Taco Bell reportedly saw a 41% increase in applicants compared with last April.

As for retention, Shake Shack is reportedly testing a four-day workweek for managers, while Starbucks is offering full tuition coverage, health care, parental leave and restricted stock units.

Chipotle recently introduced a new quarterly bonus program for hourly staff, plus tuition and health benefits. The brand said 83% of its current GMs are “home grown,” and promoted 13,000 employees last year, according to the article.

The Wolak Group, a franchisee which owns nearly 100 Dunkin’ locations, recently opened a new facility dedicated to training its system, personalizing the orientation for new hires and updating its managerial training.

These great benefits will surely help attract and retain restaurant employees—and the competition may heat up even more as a result.