Raising Cane's to offer higher pay in Austin to attract new employees

In an effort to attract and retain Austin-area staff, about 70% of their hourly staff will receive at least $1 more an hour and the starting rate will be $12 an hour.

AUSTIN, Texas - A lack of employees continues to plague the food industry in Austin.

"It is arguably the most difficult staffing climates all of us have faced, whether it’s restaurants, retail, or any avenue," said Tommy Van Wolfe, VP of company restaurants for popular fast food chain Raising Cane's.

Van Wolfe spoke to FOX 7 Austin about the hiring challenges their locations face here in the city. "We like our restaurants not just be staffed but to be equipped to take care of our customers. It’s also equally important to take care of our crew members," he said.

In some instances they’ve had to temporarily alter hours if there wasn’t enough staff. "We’ve made adjustments where necessary in order to maintain operations to our expectations and serve the perfect box to our customers," he said.

In an effort to help ease the burden for their employees, they’ve even had various levels of management and other positions like HR gear up and serve hungry customers.

Texas restaurants are struggling with a staffing shortage

The most recent data from the Texas Restaurant Association shows that more than 90 percent of restaurant owners have a position they are struggling to fill.

"We’re all fry cooks and cashiers and we all have a ‘Whatever It Takes’ mentality. It’s been humbling to see how many of our awesomeness team to have been given a chance to help. It was their decision, they heard we needed help and they jumped in it was incredible we’ve had folks jump in from every level of the organization," said Van Wolfe.

Fast food joints aren’t the only places struggling to find workers. The Texas Workforce Commission said the food industry in general continues to have a high demand for employees across the state. They have continuously held hiring events throughout the area in order to help fill these gaps.

At Raising Cane’s, in an effort to attract and retain staff for the Austin area, about 70% of their hourly staff will receive at least a dollar more an hour. "Makes a big difference in their paycheck and certainly will help us attracting additional great talent and the greater Austin market," Van Wolfe said.

Raising Cane’s will also make the starting rate $12 an hour for the area.

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