A year ago, if someone were to ask Robert Maynard—CEO of 17-unit brunch chain Famous Toastery—if baby boomers were going to help shave off some of his labor stress, his answer would’ve been much different than it is today. “I would’ve chuckled,” Maynard says. Now, the chain is hiring more and more members of the generation and playing up how the brand can naturally fit into boomers’ lifestyles as an employer.
Although the age group represents a small percentage of the restaurant workforce in general,
adults 55 and older were among the fastest-growing groups entering the industry in recent years, according to the National Restaurant Association. The Department of Labor predicts that trend to continue in the workforce overall, with workers 65 years and older expected to drive labor growth between 2014 and 2024.
White Castle units are reporting an uptick in boomer applicants—a welcome wave in a more rigid labor market, says VP Jamie Richardson. The hamburger chain tries to take an individualized approach when accommodating its team members, a practice that has paid off with a better understanding of the goals and desires of its boomer employees, Richardson says. “It’s about listening,” he says. While many of the moves aren’t geared solely toward boomers, chains are consciously attracting and accommodating this demographic with new incentives that appeal more to them.
