Applebee’s exec slammed for allegedly suggesting employee pay cuts

Payin’ less in the neighborhood.

An Applebee’s franchise executive is under fire for allegedly suggesting in a leaked email that worsening economic conditions could force desperate restaurant workers into longer shifts at lower wages.

“As inflation continues to climb and gas prices continue to go up, that means more hours employees will need to work to maintain their current level of living,” reads the March 6 email that was allegedly sent by Wayne Pankratz, an executive with American Franchise Capital.

The email, posted Wednesday to Reddit, received more than 5,000 comments before the thread was locked.

In the email, Pankratz gleefully shares that stimulus checks have run out and that Mom and Pop shops are struggling to offer competitive wages, driving “more potential employees into the hiring pool.”

The favorable labor market, he said, gives his company the chance to hire employees “at a lower wage.”

Based in Atlanta, American Franchise Capital owns and manages Taco Bell and Applebee’s restaurants in nine states with annual sales topping more than $200 million.

A spokesman for the company told the Kansas City Star that Pankratz does not have the power to influence company hiring policy.