Denny’s on Thursday announced it is launching an “America’s Diner Hiring Tour” on Route 66 from St. Louis to Los Angeles to hire 20,000 new workers for its restaurant chain.
The tour will make stops at these locations:
- Monday, June 28, at 8 a.m. – 10575 Watson Road, St. Louis, Missouri
- Tuesday, June 29, at 8 a.m. – 1617 SW 74th Street, Oklahoma City
- Wednesday, June 30, at 1 p.m. – 1602 Coors Road NW, Albuquerque
- Thursday, July 1, at 8 a.m. – 2306 E Lucky Lane, Flagstaff, Arizona
- Friday, July 2, at 8 a.m. – 7 East Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California
Denny’s also is launching a website, Careers.Dennys.com, for jobseekers in conjunction with the tour.
According to the news release:
“With the country continuing to open back up, Denny’s is committed to inviting Americans across the country to get back to work,” said John Miller, Chief Executive Officer at Denny’s Corporation. “The America’s Diner Hiring Tour experience allows interviewees to get one-on-one assistance with their applications and find the right position for them. We are glad to be able to mobilize the hiring experience to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for applicants.”
The America’s Diner Hiring Tour is designed to support all job seekers, regardless of their level of experience, professional field, or background, and at each location there will be application stations set up for job seekers to easily apply. As a special treat for applying onsite during the tour, Denny’s will be giving out its new Red, White and Blue Pancake Breakfast to all applicants from its 53-foot food truck. The crave-able new creation features a light and fluffy stack of pancakes crafted with fresh buttermilk and blueberries and topped with freshly sliced strawberries, a drizzle of cream cheese icing and a dollop of sweet, whipped cream, served up with two eggs, golden hash browns, plus two crispy bacon strips or sausage links.
The Denny’s CEO doesn’t outright say it, but he seems to hint at the notion that many Americans are “too lazy to return to work” as the country begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The business-friendly Wall Street Journal debunked that myth a few weeks ago, as did the conservative-leaning The Bulwark site:
While some conservatives were so busy looking for the sort of story conservatives like to condemn — about people being lazy because government largesse saps their initiative — they missed the sort of story conservatives usually like to celebrate: about people looking for opportunities, about economic dynamism, about creativity and self-improvement.
The lesson is, as always: Beware of people telling simple stories to explain complex phenomena in ways that — by total coincidence — fit their political priors.
Some of the same businesses during the height of the pandemic that hailed essential workers — many whom put themselves at risk for contracting the virus while on the job — then demanded they get back to work without an increase in pay.
If businesses are mercenary, they shouldn’t complain too much if employees become mercenary as well.
(Image of the Denny’s logo from the news release)