Who Wouldn't Want to Work at Halo Burger?

When driving along Big Beaver Road in Troy, just east of The Somerset Collection, signs of growth in business are plain to see in a large, new building for retail development. Looking a little closer, however, one can tell that business may not be growing as obviously.

Officials at Halo Burger, a brand of the Grand Blanc Township-based Dortch Enterprises LLC with 11 locations in the Saginaw Valley region, say that they are having a hard time filling open positions with just a month before their projected opening date at 2038 W. Big Beaver Rd.

"It's widespread, not just in Troy. It's happening everywhere—there are a decline in applications for retail and manufacturing sectors," said Dortch human resources director Mariea Berry. "Doors have been open and it's just odd that we've seen absolutely nobody."

Berry continued that Halo Burger has been advertising positions, from fry cook to assistant managers, for about one month. The difficulties should not hold the company back from opening by the second week of November, she said, as trainers from other restaurants will come in to help.

Next door, Piada Italian Street Ford has begun to suffer from a similar problem. Chef Damian Needham said that the fast casual, Italian cuisine restaurant chain has advertised a variety of available positions for about one week and not had much luck yet.

It shouldn't keep Piada from opening its first outlet in Michigan, either.

So, what's the cause of the trouble? Berry said that she is stumped.

"It's a good company to work for because there are a lot of opportunities for advancement. We're very big on promoting from within and we're growing. We don't have any intention of stopping," she said.

Those interested in applying at Halo Burger can email their resume to hr@dortchenterprises.com. Those interested in applying at Piada can visit the hiring site, located in the parking lot of the building, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or email their resume to piada.bigbeaver@mypiada.com.