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Editor’s note: This article is part 3 of the Pizza Power Report 2025. You can scroll down to the bottom to navigate to other sections of the report.
By Charlie Pogacar
As the value wars heated up among the country’s leading pizza chains in 2024, another conflict raged behind the scenes: the battle for talent. Finding and keeping reliable team members remains a challenge. Whenever PMQ shares a story about renowned legacy pizzerias closing down, comments on social media go something to the effect of, “Young people don’t want to work hard!” But if you believe that, consider the perspective of Aaron Nilsson, chief information officer at Jet’s Pizza, the 400-plus-unit brand based in Detroit.
Nilsson recalls growing up in a “one-stoplight farming community,” where hard work meant tilling the land and stacking hay—something he watched his father do all of his life. “It’s the worst job ever,” he admits. “That was my definition of hard work.” Today, Nilsson says, that definition has evolved. “We’re in an information society. My daughters have grown up seeing me spend most of my time working ‘hard’ by sitting silently at a laptop. The definition of ‘work’ has changed—and we’re the ones who taught it to them.”
If you’re still struggling to find hard workers, maybe it’s time to rethink your hiring process. Just ask Christina Martin, owner of Manizza’s Pizza in Las Vegas. In July, she told PMQ she’d recently posted an open position and netted 12 qualified applicants. Eleven showed up for interviews, and 10 impressed her. Although she could hire only one, Martin shared her experience to give other operators hope.
And, while her experiences are anecdotal, recent industry data supports her optimism. The National Restaurant Association reported fewer than 800,000 open positions in May 2024, down from a pandemic high of 1.5 million—a sign that vacancies have been sliced in half.
Martin’s success isn’t just luck. She puts care into crafting unique job listings. Instead of generic phrases like “must be able to multitask” or “work in a fast-paced environment,” she uses playful language: “Are you awesome? Want to come be awesome with us?” She believes these questions help set her pizzeria apart from the competition: Who wouldn’t want to be awesome?
The job applications at Manizza’s Pizza are equally distinctive, with questions like, “If I gave you an elephant and you couldn’t sell or get rid of it, what would you do with it?” As Martin explains, “The candidates who take their time and give thoughtful answers stand out. Even if it’s something like, ‘I’d start a circus’ or ‘I’d ride it to work, since gas is expensive,’ that tells me they’re creative and not just mass-applying to jobs. Plus, we get to smile during the process—it makes it fun, not boring.”
Martin also requires applicants to make a small but effective pledge in the application: They must check a box agreeing to show up for the interview. “It’s not like it guarantees they will show up, but I think it reinforces their commitment,” she says.
Meanwhile, Eric Soller, owner of Old Scratch Pizza in Dayton, Ohio, has experimented with new interview techniques. He’s noticed that younger employees often feel uncomfortable engaging with the restaurant’s guests. “They’d rather go to the dentist than pre-bus a table,” Soller jokes. “One idea we’ve discussed is asking applicants to meet someone in the dining room during the interview. It’s a way to gauge how comfortable they are interacting with guests. For many young people, that kind of engagement doesn’t come naturally, but we want to help them develop those skills.”
Once team members are onboarded, Chase Sereda, a Little Caesars franchisee in Canada, aims to make the job feel meaningful. Inspired by another franchisee, he takes a photo of each new hire with the first pizza they make. When that team member eventually moves on, he also shoots their photo with the last pizza they make and shares both pictures on his team’s WhatsApp group. “We try to celebrate wins, no matter how big or small,” Sereda says. “These little things can make a big difference. They help transform your restaurant into a fun, vibrant place to work.”
Hiring and retaining good talent remains a challenge, but operators like Martin, Soller and Sereda have shown that creativity, thoughtful engagement and small commitments can set restaurants apart. Their success proves that when young people are put in the right environment and given the tools to succeed, many will work just as hard as their parents and grandparents did.
NAVIGATING THE PIZZA POWER REPORT 2025
How Independents Keep Learning to Win vs. the Big Chains
Major Chains Lean into Value in So-Called ‘Pizza Wars’
Good Help Can Be Easier to Find With Some Creative Strategies
How Smart Technologies Can Ease Pizzerias’ Labor Problems
Venturing into the Frozen Frontier to Build a National Pizza Brand
C-Stores Are Taking ‘Gas Station Pizza’ to a New Level
America’s Most Popular Independent Pizzerias (Per Crowd-Sourced Reviews)
America’s 25 Most Critically Acclaimed Independent Pizzerias
The Top 30 Pizza Chains in the U.S.
The Top 10 Trending Pizza Styles for 2025
Most Popular and Fastest-Growing Pizza Toppings for 2025
