Prescott Restaurants Offering Free College Tuition To New Employees

Restaurants across the country are offering signing bonuses, better schedules, and other perks to attract workers right now.

When employee applications slowed to a trickle, Skyler Reeves, founder of Vivili Hospitality Group, knew he had to do something different.

Now, he hopes offering free college tuition will attract new hires to his five Prescott restaurants.

As part of a new program, employees at The County Seat, La Planchada, The Barley Hound, Rosa’s Pizzeria and Taco Don’s will be eligible for 100% tuition reimbursement at Yavapai College after 90 days of employment and if they work full time.

“Attracting and retaining the best talent is a top priority for Vivili and creating this program with Yavapai College allows us to do just that, while also contributing to the community by funding the education of people looking to get ahead in their careers,” Reeves said in a statement.

Reeves also sees this as a way to attract people who are looking for paid jobs, but might not have previously been interested in the restaurant industry.

"You go get a job because you want to get paid. You want a paycheck, you want something that's going to better your life in maybe more ways than one. Maybe you don't want to be a server or a cook for the rest of your life but you're going to do it while you're in college and we can make that a better situation for the employees," he told KNXV.

Restaurants across the U.S. have been having a hard time finding new employees because of the pandemic. Some former workers moved to other industries or went back to school when restaurants closed or reduced service last year, among other reasons.

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