Inside Wendy’s fresh, never frozen AI recruiting strategy


Headquarters:
Dublin, Ohio
Industry:
Retail/hospitality
Founded:
1969
iCIMS customer since:
2022
Company size:
37,000
iCIMS products:
Applicant Tracking
Candidate Experience Management
Video Studio
Wendy's logo

If you’ve eaten at Wendy’s, you know the menu includes more than their hot and juicy hamburgers made with fresh, never frozen beef. It also includes fan favorites, such as their iconic Frosty®, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, salads, breakfast and more.

Similarly, recruiters at The Wendy’s Company hire for a variety of roles; in addition to corporate positions, the company owns nearly 400 restaurants. In 2023 alone, the Company’s General Managers hired more than 12,000 restaurant employees.

Hiring on this scale is one thing. It’s another to hire a platform engineer in Dublin, Ohio as efficiently as a restaurant team member in Tampa, Florida.

The Wendy's Company approach

In short, Wendy’s needed a recruiting solution that worked regardless of location and could be configured to help both corporate recruiters and general managers quickly find the talent they need.

“For some roles, particularly those at the corporate level, we can receive more than a thousand applications in less than a week, says,” says Bailey Capper, Director of Talent Acquisition at The Wendy’s Company.

“We needed a system that is easy enough for managers to use while running their restaurant and effective enough for corporate recruiters filling a wide variety of Restaurant Support roles.”

Wendy's employees huddle in a circle with their hands together.
Wendy's employee smiles as she sets a tray of food on the counter.

AI makes hiring fast and easy, like a drive-thru order

According to Capper, iCIMS has helped improve their hiring efficiency for corporate roles.

“I love the ‘Role Fit’ feature in iCIMS,” says Capper. “Using AI, the system evaluates candidates based on the job description and ranks them based on how well their experience fits the role.”

“This helps me prioritize my focus by elevating the top matches while our recruiters continue to evaluate all candidate applications.”

Great service starts with great hires

Wendy’s is squarely focused on creating technology solutions that promote its business strategy and support restaurant teams in delivering exceptional customer experiences. According to Capper, iCIMS plays an important role in that strategy.

“We felt confident telling leadership, ‘We’re now going to be able to find you high-quality candidates faster.’”

“Having our restaurants fully staffed is essential to delivering exceptional experiences,” Capper said. “By making it easier for restaurant managers to find and hire the right talent, we enable them to focus more on engaging with their teams and customers—driving both great service and strong business results.”

Wendy's employee brings out tray of food in one of their restaurants.

My recruiters use iCIMS data to make more informed decisions instead of glancing at an application and moving on. It helps give them more confidence that they are sending the hiring manager the most qualified candidates faster.

Bailey Capper

Director of Talent Acquisition, The Wendy’s Company

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