WINTER PARK, Fla. – Bad As’s Sandwich owner John Collazo is one of the rare business owners in the food industry still hiring during the coronavirus pandemic.
Collazo, who owns Bad As’s Sandwich in Orlando’s Milk District and recently opened a second location in Winter Park, told News 6 he’s seeing four times as many resumes and job applications coming his way, compared to pre-pandemic times.
[FLORIDA FOODIE PODCAST: The story of Bad As’s Sandwiches]
“Right now we have 16 employees, which I never thought we would get, but we need about 25,” he said. “So we need about nine more people. We’re looking at resumes right now. There’s stacks and stacks because there’s so many people in need. If you have a great attitude and the hope and the will, that’s what we look for.”
Megan Grant is one of those hires. She worked as a receptionist in a medical office before she was laid off.
“It’s been, like, six years since I worked in a kitchen,” she said. “To work for one of the biggest sandwich shops in town, I thought, was really awesome.”
Collazo opened his second location earlier this month, which sells what he calls "very unorthodox sandwiches."
“We started the deal here back in December so nobody knew,” he said. “We’re already so invested in it that we have to keep going.”
When the pandemic first began, Bad As’s main location in the Milk District lost about 80% of its business. It has since mostly recovered, but business is still down about 30%.
The number of jobless Floridians remains high, with the state’s unemployment rate at 14.5%, compared to the national unemployment rate at just more than 13%.
To apply for any open cashier, runner or cook positions at Bad As’s Sandwich, email badasssandwiches@gmail.com.
News 6 showcased Collazo and Bad As’s Sandwich on the station’s food-focused podcast, “Florida Foodie,” last November. To learn more about the business and listen to the podcast, click here.