Low wages
Staff shortage? US restaurant chain proves that there are enough employees – if you pay fair wages
A branch of the Dick’s Drive-In restaurant chain
© Elaine Thompson / Picture Alliance
Many restaurants and bars are currently lacking employees. This is not only due to the Corona crisis, but also probably due to wages and working conditions. In any case, a US chain does not have this problem.
After the long months of lockdown, the gastronomy scene in many countries around the world is facing a major problem: many former employees have now looked for other jobs, and in many places there is an urgent lack of staff. If you take a closer look, this may not only be due to the coronavirus and its consequences – many people simply don’t feel like the difficult conditions and low salaries anymore.
Insecure working conditions, hard-working jobs, difficult working hours, little appreciation and poor pay do not exactly ensure that applicants scramble for kitchen or waiter jobs when there are alternatives. This is currently no different in the USA than in Germany. However, there is a positive example there that shows that you can very well find qualified employees – if you meet them on an equal footing.
US chain shows how it can be done
Dick’s Drive-In is a fast food chain that operates primarily in the Seattle, Washington area. As in many classic American restaurants, customers here get burgers and fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. And at the same low prices as anywhere else – although the employees here are paid an hourly wage of US $ 20 (EUR 17.20). That is well above the minimum wage – which in Washington State is already quite high at $ 13.50. In other states, only $ 7.25 per hour is mandatory.
One TikTokerin drew attention to the chain by buying and filming a sumptuous menu there and then revealing that she paid only $ 20 for two cheeseburgers, a deluxe burger, two servings of fries, a milkshake and an ice cream. No more than in other fast food outlets, where the employees earn significantly less. The argument that higher wages automatically lead to higher prices for customers does not seem tenable. The TikTok video has now received more than 43,000 likes.
Managing directors pride themselves on high wages
Dick’s Drive-In operators take pride in the way they treat their employees. It is said that they would have no problems with a lack of staff. “We treat our employees like family members. Dick’s employees get better salaries and better bonuses than any other fast food restaurant in the Seattle area,” says General Manager Jasmine Donovan. “We like to pay the highest wages and benefits in the industry, that’s something we are proud of.”
Source: “Independent”