Dive Brief:

• Chuck E. Cheese plans to hire 5,000 employees this summer across its 460 locations in 47 states, according to a press release.
• The company is offering employees the ability to access up to 50% of their earned wages instantly after their first week of employment, as well as flexible work schedules, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, scholarships, discounts and a 401(k) retirement savings plan.
• Chuck E. Cheese's hiring push pales in comparison to some of its quick-service counterparts. Subway plans to hire 40,000 employees, for example, while Chipotle, Sonic and KFC have goals to add 20,000 workers each. But the chain's hiring push may indicate that it is starting to make a comeback after a tumultuous year that disproportionately affected eatertainment concepts and included a bankruptcy last June.

Dive Insight:

Chuck E. Cheese is looking to fill part- and full-time in-store positions, such as cast member, kitchen and manager roles. Growing kitchen staff numbers could also help with the fulfillment of the chain's growing off-premise business, including through delivery providers DoorDash, UberEats and Grubhub.

In April, Chuck E. Cheese raised $650 million in private notes and entered a $50 million revolving credit facility to increase its financial flexibility and position the company for a rebound. The company also recently debuted a new app and rewards program to further facilitate a tailwind that would cater to current diner trends. 

Even if these positions are filled, however, eatertainment concepts will likely have a slower recovery than the rest of the industry, as they are forced to rethink distancing in-store and continue ramping up their off-premise business. Through the pandemic, the category has struggled and permanently closed stores. Rival Punch Bowl Social faced foreclosure in March 2020, for example, and later declared bankruptcy in December.

Still, the category has shown signs of life, including new concepts emerging, Punch Bowl Social reopening in some markets and a comeback mounted by Dave & Buster's. Dave & Buster's also seems to be on a hiring spree, with jobs open everywhere from California and New Jersey to Florida. Summer tends to be the busiest season for restaurants in most parts of the country, and hiring pushes aren't unusual this time of year.