Denny’s hitting the road to recruit 20,000 employees

Denny’s is launching an unusual initiative to find employees amid a labor shortage that is hitting restaurant chains particularly hard.

The fast-casual eatery is looking to hire 20,000 restaurant-level employees at both company-owned and franchise-operated restaurants across the United States. To aid in the effort, Denny's is launching “America's Diner Hiring Tour,” and will travel the famed Route 66 from St. Louis to Los Angeles. It will make multiple stops along the way, including Oklahoma City, Okla., Albuquerque, N.M., and Flagstaff, Ariz., to help people apply for jobs. Application stations for job seekers will be set up at each stop. 

Denny's will make the tour in a 53-foot truck. The company will give out its new “Red, White and Blue Pancake Breakfast” to all applicants who apply onsite during the tour, which will take place between Monday, June 28 to Friday, July 2.

“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,” said John Miller, CEO, Denny's Corp. “We are glad to be able to mobilize the hiring experience to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for applicants."

Separately, Denny’s offers another incentive for those who apply nationwide and get invited back for an interview. The first 25 interviewees at each of Denny's 1,600-plus brick-and-mortar locations will receive a coupon for a free Red, White and Blue Pancake Breakfast to be redeemed at that visit or through Tuesday, August 31. 

Denny has also launched a new site, Careers.Dennys.com, for jobseekers to apply to, as part of its nationwide hiring effort.