Are big hiring incentives paying off for business owners?
CLANTON, Ala. (WBRC) - You may remember us telling you about the incentives some businesses are offering potential employees, like the restaurant in Clanton thats offering a car to new hires. The owner of the Neighborhood Grill posted about offering a car to new employees back in early June. Fast forward to Thursday, he says the incentive has somewhat helped bring people in to fill openings. 3 weeks since we talked - weve had more applications come in and weve been able to hire a handful of people.  Jason Lea says he still needs about 30 employees to work between his Clanton and Millbrook restaurant locations and he remains hopeful. Since our last interview, staffing shortages continue to limit operations in Millbrook to just dinner service, but the Clanton location is returning to full operations soon. Were going to add Mondays back starting July 12th because weve had enough hires and we feel comfortable doing it, said Lea. Jason Southard joined the kitchen crew about a month ago. He says people looking for work are weighing more than just the perks. I think people are making sure theyre happy where theyre going to work. Nobody wants to wake up dreading coming to work, said Jason Southard, Grill Cook, Thats the difference here. I enjoy coming to work here.  While some may look for the right atmosphere, Lea maintains he must have something to offer people in this tough hiring market. A record high 44 percent of small business owners reported having job openings they could not fill in April according to a national study. The owner says hes now stacking incentives; like upping base pay by 15 percent plus the car offer, and hopes its enough to bring in qualified applicants, but not stretch too thin. Restaurants operate on a very small margin as it is and were getting hit on the labor side and food cost side, said Lea. The restaurant has daily interviews from 2pm to 4 pm Tuesday - Friday. The car up for grabs is a Hunyadi Elantra. Copyright 2021 WBRC. All rights reserved.