Raising Cane’s restaurants sending corporate employees to work as cooks and cashiers

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is sending corporate employees to work in its restaurants as fry cooks and cashiers.

This decision comes as companies face a nationwide labor shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The first thing we teach new hires at Cane’s is that we are all Fry Cooks & Cashiers, and this week, we are proving that,” said co-CEO and chief operating officer AJ Kumaran in a statement published by QSR magazine. Raising Cane’s shared the article on its social media accounts.

The fast food chain touts itself as hiring “the best,” according to the company hiring page, with all with eyes toward serving its “perfect box” of chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, toast and sauce.

“To deliver The Perfect Box, every person—from operator to Crewmember— pitches in wherever needed,” the company says. “Here, we’re all Fry Cooks and Cashiers. We take pride in what we do, and never sacrifice quality for speed.”

Putting that word to the test, Bloomberg reported Raising Cane’s is sending half of its corporate staff to restaurants across the country. That’s about 200 corporate employees who will work as fry cooks and cashiers while also hiring new workers, reports say.

“It’s no secret that today’s hiring market is a challenge,” Kumaran in a statement obtained by Bloomberg. “Ahead of our massive growth next year, having the support we need is critical.”

The company is hoping to hire 10,000 new people in 50 days with plans to open 100 Raising Cane’s restaurants in 2022, Restaurant Business reported. This is in addition to the company’s 40,000 employees nationwide currently.

“(Corporate staff) are helping interview people, they’re helping attract people, they’re helping process their paperwork,” Kumaran said, according to Restaurant Business. “Anything and everything.”

They will live in hotels while working in the restaurants, the magazine reported, but Kumaran does not know how long they will be away from headquarters.

Raising Cane’s is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. with a support office in Plano, Texas.

On Facebook, the company shared people looking to work with chicken fingers can text RCJOBS to 97211.

This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:39 AM with the headline "Raising Cane’s restaurants sending corporate employees to work as cooks and cashiers."