As the pandemic-stricken restaurant industry looks to get back in business, Dunkin’ plans to add as many as 25,000 workers to its payrolls in the coming months.
The coffee-and-donut chain is looking to hire counter workers and managers to work at its franchises, 90% of which have remained open even as much of the country shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus in March, Dunkin’ said on Monday.
There were 9,630 Dunkin’ outlets in the U.S. as of the end of last year, according to a company regulatory filing. The hiring announcement comes on the heels of surprisingly strong employment numbers on Friday, when the government reported employers added 2.5 million jobs in May.
To support its hiring spree, the chain is launching its first national advertising campaign aimed at recruitment. TV and digital ads in English and Spanish will tout the benefits of working at a Dunkin’ franchise, the Canton, Massachusetts, chain said.
Those benefits, according to Dunkin’, will now include the option of an online college education, with the company partnering with Southern New Hampshire University to offer its workers the chance at earning a degree.
With a national unemployment rate of 13.3%, millions of restaurant workers are out of work. Another fast-food chain, Taco Bell, last month said it would hire at least 30,000 workers to keep its drive-thru and curbside pickup operations running smoothly.
