American chain Shake Shack is trialling a four-day work week for its supervisors, with CEO Randy Garutti saying it needs to retain and attract qualified staff.
“It has never been harder to find great people to lead great restaurants,” Garutti said at a conference in Las Vegas. He said that trials had already begun. “That’s a big thing. Nobody’s really been able to figure that out in the restaurant business.”
The pilot programme comes as Shake Shack experiences rapid growth. It has opened 20 new stores in the last quarter of 2018 and plans to open a further 40 this year, with Garutti saying the company could open as many as 100 stores if required.
“If we can figure that out on scale, it could be a big opportunity,” Garutti said of the four-day work week. “We’re not promising it yet, but it is something we’re having fun trying and seeing how our leaders like it on a recruiting basis.”
