Pizza Hut and Papa John’s are hiring.
Papa John’s on Monday said it is hiring up to 20,000 restaurant workers and delivery drivers as the chain looks to fill positions as the pool of available workers increases along with demand for pizza delivery.
Pizza Hut, meanwhile, says it is hiring 30,000 employees around the country.
Both chains said they are adding no-contact delivery to ensure the safety of the process both for consumers and drivers.
Papa John’s said that “in most cases” applicants can expect to have an interview and potentially start work that same day.
“We want to add talented team members to our Papa John’s family across the country to deliver food safely to our customers’ doorsteps,” Marvin Boakye, Papa John’s chief people and diversity officer, said in a statement. “We are in a unique position, as a restaurant that specializes in delivery and carryout, to help our communities through the crisis.”
Pizza Hut, meanwhile, said it is hiring cooks, shift leaders, restaurant managers and virtual call center agents, as well as drivers.
“Given increased demand we’re seeing for delivery, we’re hiring new team members to help us feed America,” Kevin Hochman, president of Pizza Hut U.S., said in a statement. He said that demand for delivery by families is generating strong demand for its large Big Dipper Pizza, so the company is extending the availability of that product.
For pizza chains, the sudden availability of millions of workers is proving to be an opportunity to fill positions they’d been struggling to fill in recent years.
Demand for drivers, in particular, was strong as third-party services such as Uber and DoorDash proved to be attractive for the pool of workers who wanted to drive as part of their jobs.
The challenge was particularly acute for Papa John’s, which saw its reputation take a big hit the past two years amid controversy surrounding its founder. That also kept employees from applying for jobs and made it more difficult for the chain to keep enough drivers.
Papa John’s as a result started using third-party delivery services to help it supplement its delivery capabilities.
Pizza Hut, meanwhile, has had challenges of its own in recent years as its sales have struggled.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include information from Pizza Hut.
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