V Pizza, a network of pizza restaurants with locations in Jacksonville, Florida, came under criticism after one of its Georgia franchisees hung a sign in the storefront window that gave patrons the creeps.
The franchise’s corporate office has since come forward to chastise their Georgian colleague for putting up the sign complaining about how difficult it was for them to find employees during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the government assistance provided to those who are struggling to make ends meet as a result of the collapse of America’s economy.
The contentious sign that was displayed in the Georgia store’s window reads: “Unfortunately, because of government subsidies, no one wants to work anymore. As a result, we are understaffed. Please be patient with the staff members that did decide to show up for work today, and don’t forget to leave your server a tip. They made the decision to come to your aid.
Social media users snapped a picture of the sign and published it to Twitter after noticing the negative attitude emanating from the Georgia pizza franchise shop and commented, “Bummer to see this coming from @VPizzaJax.”
Since some V Pizza stores got millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loans from the federal government to retain employees on staff, social media users were quick to call out the hypocrisy of the pizza chain. The company was able to rehire workers who had been laid off due to the epidemic using the government handout, proving that it was the government aid that kept their business solvent.
Franchise owner Paul Scott told News4Jax that after finding out about the contentious sign’s placement on social media, he contacted the proprietor of the Georgia shop and requested that it be taken down from the storefront window.
“That sign and the wording with it—there’s so much wrong with it,” he said. “However, the one truth of the sign is that everyone is having trouble hiring because the reality is that what we can pay our staff, you know, typically one of our staff members makes $14–$15 an hour if a person is sitting home and they have children that they have to put in daycare, and they’re able to get almost as much money staying at home and keeping their kids versus daycare. Nobody is to blame for making a wise choice for their family.
Without a doubt, we are understaffed, but not by a significant amount, he continued. Every day, the workforce, or our employees, arrive with a positive attitude. In our capacity as owners, we work to help them in any way we can.
Under the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis, the state of Florida provided an extra $300 per week to those receiving unemployment benefits throughout the epidemic but sought to eliminate the payment in order to encourage individuals to “return to work.”
In a news conference in May, DeSantis said, “Now, we’re transitioning from a kind of relief in the middle of a crisis to now having the more traditional re-employment outlook.”
The pandemic’s current American epicenter has moved to Florida.