Papa John's offering referral, hiring, appreciation bonuses

Papa John’s International Inc. is adding hiring and other incentives amid a labor crunch that is hitting the restaurant industry particularly hard.

The pizza chain announced new programs for its company-owned restaurants that include $50 referral bonuses for team members  for every new hire they bring in, with an additional $50 bonus paid to the new employee.    

In addition, existing team members are also eligible for up $400 in appreciation bonuses to be paid in increments throughout the remainder of the year. Papa John's has about 14,000 front-line workers at its company-owned restaurants and through its supply chain.

The company said it  also plans to make additional investments in its full-time staff  in its "high volume" company-owned stores to support growth. Papa John’s  expects to invest $2.5 million in the new initiatives through the end of 2021. The company says similar programs are offered through franchisees as well.

“The incredible hard work and commitment of our team members, which powered Papa John’s tremendous performance and transformation over the past 18 months, is just as important to our sustained long-term growth,” said Rob Lynch, president and CEO.  Similar to programs being offered by our franchisees, these new bonuses for our team members in our corporate restaurants and QCCs reflect the value we place on growing, retaining and supporting our dedicated team.”

Papa John’s has more than 5,400 restaurants in 50 countries and territories.