Staffing

Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons doubling down on corporate diversity hiring

Logo: Provided

June 29, 2020

Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons, is doubling down on its diversity in hiring commitment.

"Starting immediately, I am making a commitment to ensure at least half of all final-round candidates interviewing for roles with our four RBI offices will be from groups that are demonstrably diverse, including race," RBI CEO Jose Cil said in a company press release. "I am taking on this commitment along with our Leadership Team to ensure that this becomes a permanent diversity shift that permeates every corner of RBI."

The announcement comes on the heels of great racial strife and cultural upheaval in the U.S. following repeated killings of black individuals in police custody across the country. For RBI, the announcement was part of an overall release of new initiatives at the QSR company, including those around sustainability in restaurant operations and other areas of social responsibility.

Cil said the company had already made changes relating to gender bias in hiring, resulting in the hiring of many more women over the last couple of years. He said the company scored a 100% in 2020 on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.

In the area of sustainability, the company announced what it called its Restaurant Brands for Good framework that outlines initiatives key to sustainable food, planet and people practices.

For example, Burger King will roll out a U.S. Whopper without color, flavors or preservatives from artificial sources, with promises that all three brands under the RBI umbrella are at work on similar initiatives.

The packaging is also being addressed, with Tim Hortons in Canada eliminating enough plastic straws and stir sticks to wrap around the world one and a half times every year, Cil said.

Finally, the company gave an update on its brands' business status, reporting that nearly all Burger King restaurants are open, with comparable sales trending approximately flat to last year compared to the negative mid-30s in mid-March. That was attributed to strong performance in drive-thru given most of our dining rooms throughout North America remain closed or offer reduced seating.

Tim Hortons is 90% open in Canada, with most of the remaining restaurants located in malls, food courts, sporting complexes and other public facilities that currently remain closed. Tim Hortons has shown sequential comparable sales improvements every week from the negative mid-40s in mid-March to the negative high teens as of last week.

Popeyes was reported to continue "incredibly strong comparable sales momentum in the U.S. with sales growth remaining in the very high 20s last week, even as we begin to lap the strongest period of 2019 prior to the national launch of the Chicken Sandwich," Cil said.

Nearly all Popeyes restaurants in its home market are open for takeout and delivery – with dining rooms mostly closed.

"In mid-June, the team also brought our Chicken Sandwich to Canada in a test market where we have seen really strong demand, giving us optimism that the quality of our sandwich will transcend markets and continue to attract new guests to our brand," Cil said in the release.

He said more than 90% of the company's Asia-Pacific stores are open, and more than 80% are open in Europe, The Middle East and Africa. Approximately 60% of the Latin American restaurants are open as well.