By Charlie Pogacar
There’s a popular meme depicting Steve Buscemi in the halls of a school, wearing a backwards hat, carrying a skateboard, saying, “how do you do, fellow kids?”
The scene is originally from the popular NBC show 30 Rock, and the implication, of course, is that Buscemi is old and attempting to blend in with a younger generation. And that’s just the thing: younger people can tell when you’re trying too hard to get on their level.
Maybe you, a pizzeria operator, can relate. Every year that goes by is another year removed from the younger generation of workers. This generation—Gen Z—is unique and demands a new approach.
Related: Hope for the Hiring Process: How Manizza’s Pizza Finds the Right Team Members
In PMQ’s most recent webinar, we hosted two operators who have excelled in hiring and retaining younger workers. With several decades of restaurant industry experience between them, Eric Soller—owner and operator of Old Scratch Pizza in Dayton, Ohio—and Little Caesars franchisee, Chase Sereda, shared a treasure trove of tips and tricks to connect with younger workers.
“This generation is really smart,” Soller explained in the webinar. “They’re tech-savvy and they want flexibility. But that also means they expect us to meet them where they are—whether that’s through technology or creating a work environment that values their contributions.”
Sereda, who works for the franchisee group his parents started in 1985, agreed with Soller. He added that one of the things he implemented during the pandemic was a WhatsApp group that helped unite employees and keep them engaged. The group is used for everything from video training materials to wishing members of the group a happy birthday.
“It’s been one of the best management tools we’ve implemented in the past 10 years,” Sereda said. “It’s not just about communication—it’s about celebrating every small win and making sure everyone feels valued.”
One of the most engaging aspects of this webinar was the way Soller and Sereda fed off one another. Multiple times, one of the operators lit up and said, “I’m stealing that idea” after the other shared a nugget of wisdom. One example: Sereda said he likes to take a picture of each team member with the first pizza they make at Little Caesars. Whenever that team member is going to move on to a new gig, he’ll take a photo of the last pizza they make at Little Caesars and share it on the WhatsApp group.
“I just typed, ‘take a picture of their first pizza,’” Soller said to Sereda during the webinar. “I think that’s a great idea. I love it.”
Perhaps you, too, will find some great ideas in this webinar. Hopefully these ideas can make you more like Soller and Sereda—and less like Steve Buscemi.
