An Ohio pizza shop went viral after one of their help-wanted ads requested “non-stupid people” to apply for a job.
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Santino’s Pizzeria created a stir on social media after posting a job advertisement requesting that their applicants be non-stupid. Still, the shop’s co-owner, Jayden Donigan, said the posting was a harmless joke. “It’s more humor than anything,” she said. “It’s not meant to target anyone or be rude,” she explained to an ABC News affiliate, as reported by CBS News.
The restaurant posted the wanted ad two months ago after feeling frustrated with the hiring process as they dealt with previous employees who lacked work ethic. Donigan says finding people to work has been difficult as some didn’t attend job interviews or take their job seriously. However, some residents found humor in the sign and said they weren’t offended by the restaurant’s sense of humor.
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“I thought [the sign] was awesome because they’re not saying people are stupid; they’re saying, hey, let’s pay attention, let’s communicate, let’s get things going back to the way they’re supposed to be, helping each other,” said business owner Cathy Barrett. Another resident, Natasha Fox, said she wasn’t offended by the sign and found the humor in it.
“I get where they’re coming from (but) I don’t think it’s a bad idea. You want someone working here who’s going to comprehend what’s being ordered.”
Another resident told the outlet that he drove from another town to check out the sign, and he even purchased something from the shop.
“I thought it was funny, I didn’t think it was offensive at all, and so, that made me really curious about this pizza place, so that made me decide to come in and check it out,”
Stockton said the restaurant is looking for reliable employees who can come to work on time without any issues.
“Instead of judging our signs, why don’t you come to judge our pizzas? Our pizzas are really good.”
The restaurant’s struggle with hiring employees comes at a time when the hospitality industry is seeing a decrease in prospective employees. Many have applied in other industries due to the high pay scales, as the median pay for a non-manager position is $17.56 an hour.
“With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leisure and hospitality sector experienced a sharp employment decline in 2020 because of social distancing measures and business shutdowns. Of the jobs lost in leisure and hospitality during the pandemic, only about one in four was recovered by 2021. Consequently, the fast projected growth over the 2021–31 decade will stem largely from recovery from low 2021 employment. The food services and drinking places industry is expected to have the largest employment increase of any industry, adding close to 1.3 million jobs from 2021 to 2031.”