Many of Wanganui's 1000-plus unemployed people seized the chance to apply for up to 15 jobs with fastfood chain KFC yesterday.
Restaurant manager Shea Donnelly said people were lined up outside the Salvation Army offices 20 minutes before the hiring open day began at 11am.
"I wasn't expecting anything like that. It
was quite hectic."
When the Chronicle got there at 11.30am there were about 60 people, all busy filling in application forms and taking an aptitude test. There will be 10 to 15 jobs offered.
By the end of the morning session, Mr Donnelly had 70 to 80 applications. He expected to have 100 by the end of the evening session.
The applicants were asked what hours they could work and given some arithmetic to solve and questions about how they would handle certain situations.
"It's not hard," he said.
The Wanganui KFC restaurant in Victoria Ave closed on May 21. It dates back to the early 1980s and is now in the process of being torn apart and remodelled.
The upgrade is part of a nationwide "transformation" of KFC outlets. There have been 53 stores completed so far, the KFC website says, about half the New Zealand total.
They are getting a "fresh, modern" look, with new colours and outdoor seating.
The Wanganui store was being enlarged and improved at an estimated cost of $1.5 million, KFC general manager Brent Kitto said.
When finished in mid-August, it will have 51 seats indoors and 20 in a new outdoor area.
It had 33 full and part-time staff when it closed. They are still employed and are being transported to Palmerston North every week, to work in the two outlets there and receive training.
When the refurbished store opens, 10 to 15 more staff will be needed. They will work and train in Palmerston North until the Wanganui store is ready. The new store will feature the addition of ice and dairy-based drinks with chunks of fruit in them.
KFC Wanganui
- $1.5 million makeover
- Closed May 21, reopens mid-August
- New outlet will have 51 seats indoors and 20 outside
- Up to 15 staff to join existing 33 full and part-timers
