TAMPA, Fla. — The struggle to hire employees is hitting the hospitality industry hard. It’s forcing businesses to get really creative when it comes to recruiting.
For that reason, a local Tampa Bay area restaurant decided to play into the cryptocurrency trends, in hopes of getting more interviewees.
Sus Hi Eatstation tries to have four employees working at a time at each of their locations, but even that has been a struggle this last year. Now, along with their sign on bonuses, they’re offering Dogecoin just for coming in for an interview.
“For the 10 years that we’ve been operating, we’ve never had this dramatic issue when it comes to hiring,” said Robert Ly, CEO of Sus Hi Eatstation.
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More than a year since the pandemic began, the restaurant industry faced shutdowns, but now climbing back out of that trench is proving more difficult than planned.
“We tried to advertise on Indeed, we tried to post posts on Facebook, on Instagram, even do paid ads on Facebook and Instagram, we just haven’t gotten much applicants to really come in. And when we do have applicants, they just don’t normally show up for the interview,” said Ly.
Ly says the majority of his nine locations are understaffed by about 20 to 30%. So he’s getting creative when hiring.
“We did Dogecoin as a creative way to attract. Because most of our staff are in the millennials, they’re on the younger side,” said Ly.
They’re offering 25 Dogecoin just for showing up for your interview; that’s in addition to their $100 hiring bonus, with an additional $25 for being vaccinated for COVID-19.
And when it comes to hiring, businesses far and wide seemingly have no other option but to get competitive.
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“The biggest thing is the flexibility, the opportunity to work remote, and the wage. We’re seeing a lot of competitive wage,” said Kay Jefferson, Director of Business Services for CareerSource Tampa Bay.
Plus a lot of businesses are hiring, leaving plenty of options open. Ly believes that’s one of the reasons recruiting is more difficult.
“It’s a mixture of that, and I would have to say there’s a little bit of a balance of the government assistance kind of helping with the unemployment. There’s pros and cons to that as well, too,” said Ly.
For those looking, Sus Hi Eatstation is one of a long list of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area offering incentives if you sign on.
You can apply to work for Sus Hi Eatstation by clicking here.
Additionally, CareerSource Tampa Bay is holding a virtual job fair on Thursday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can register to attend by clicking here.
