One of the country's biggest fast-food chains is sending its corporate employees to work its restaurants amid a massive labor shortage.
At least 250 employees of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers will be working temporarily as cashiers and fry cooks. The ongoing labor crisis is forcing food companies nationwide to rethink how they operate. Jonathan Horowitz, with Convive Hospitality Consulting, says that's also true for local restaurants big and small.
“We’re seeing shifts being closed, dinning areas being closed. Some restaurants are deciding to close more days of the week than they normally would,” Horowitz said.
He says amid supply chain issues, everything costs more: food, materials, and labor.
“We’re seeing more challenges in keeping and retaining employees because they have the ability to go bounce around looking for higher wages, and because of that, wages are going up,” Horowitz explained.
Raising Cane’s, a Louisiana based chain, has added 5,000 employees this year and has plans to increase the number before Christmas.