A restaurant scorched by unreliable employees has bluntly advertised what they’re searching for with an ad that reads, “Now hiring: non-stupid people.”
Santino’s Pizzeria hung the all-caps banner outside its Columbus, Ohio, storefront in jest, according to local news outlet WSYX, but it’s just now come to the attention of the public after a customer posted a photo of it on social media.
Jayden Dunigan, whose family owns the pizzeria, told WSYX that the sign was meant to be a joke, explaining the struggle of spending the time and money to train new employees only for them not to turn up.
“A lot of the people we’ve hired just don’t want to work,” Dunigan said. “There is no work ethic behind them, so that’s the meaning behind the ‘non-stupid’.”
The sign was backed by the online community, with the restaurant receiving plenty of support after the sign went viral on social media.
“They are 100 per cent correct,” one person commented. “In addition they should add non-lazy, also!”
Another comment read, “Honest hiring practices are always best.”
There were a few users who did not see the humour in the sign.
“If that’s the first impression you choose to make as a business owner, don’t complain when your employees leave,” one person wrote on Twitter.
The restaurant has faced some costly backlash, with the Pizzeria getting calls and pranks. Dunigan told the news outlet than someone called the restaurant to place a fake. Order that was over $100 in response to the sign.
“It was about 10 pizzas. We made the order, he called back, he talked down to one of our employees. He said our pizza sucks, and he’s cancelling the order,” Dunigan said about the prankster.
Instead of letting the food go to waste, Dunigan said they donated it.
“Since we don’t enjoy wasting food here, we always think that someone else in need can enjoy the food,” Dunigan said.
Another manager at Santino’s, Heather Stockton, told WBNS, “Instead of judging our signs, why don’t you come judge our pizzas? Our pizzas are really good.”
Image credit: Twitter
This article first appeared on Over60.