HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- As the world continues to reopen, more businesses are looking to hire employees to meet growing demands.
Silver Diner in Glen Allen is offering incentives for new employees, including providing an opportunity for candidates to be hired on the spot.
"The plan is to interview as many people as possible and make on-the-spot job offers for servers, cooks, the whole wealth of folks that work for us, our support team, host, bus staff, everyone," Christopher Shand, the vice president of human resources at Silver Diner, said. "Sales are going up, more people are coming out which is a good thing and we find ourselves in need of staff."
Shand said the COVID-19 pandemic has left some hesitant to return to dining out.
"We have seen a lot of people who have transitioned out of the business," Shand said. "I think there is still a little bit of apprehension for folks to return to the restaurants in general."
To meet the demand, Silver Diner is holding a job fair on Thursday, April 22 from 10 a.m. through 8 p.m.
To attract more potential candidates, the diner is offering a financial incentive.
"We are offering a $200 signing bonus for individuals that get hired," Shand said. "We have a $40 vaccination bonus that we are doing if folks come to us and they've already been vaccinated."
To lower anxiety levels for customers and employees, Shand said the restaurant intensified safety measures.
"We added the air filters purification system, the overnight sanitation systems so there is a lot going on to make sure it's a safe place to be," Shand said.
He said the diner is pulling out all the stops to attract the best employees to the team.
"The pandemic has been a challenge, no doubt, but our teams have weathered it well," Shand said. "They've stepped up really well."