AP/Tom Gannam
Applebee’s “Apps for Apps” promotion was a huge success and brought in 40,000 applicants. Restaurants are increasingly turning to application perks to attract potential employees. Retail is facing a labor shortage industry-wide. See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Applebee’s says it drew in 40,000 job applicants for 10,000 openings with its free appetizer incentives.
Restaurants are offering up all kinds of perks to attract workers, and Applebee’s seems to be one of the most successful. On May 17, the chain hosted a national hiring day in the hopes of filling 10,000 open positions. Interviewing candidates received coupons for a free appetizer through the “Apps for Apps” program. It got four times as many applicants, Applebee’s president John Cywinski told The New York Times.
“Our No. 1-selling category is appetizers, so we decided to offer an app for an app. I’ve got guests coming back in droves, but I don’t have all the team members I’d like,” Cywinski said.
Hiring has been difficult for many companies that have reported a lack of candidates for open positions. But retail and restaurants are are also struggling to
