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The business of hiring the formerly incarceratedThe business of hiring the formerly incarcerated

Hot Chicken Takeover's Joe DeLoss: "If we invest in our team's personal stability, we see the benefit"

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

October 2, 2019

3 Min Read
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When faced with a job candidate who has a checkered past, many employers see a liability.

Joe DeLoss sees an opportunity.

“If somebody had a really effective career selling drugs until they got caught, there’s a lot of crossover leadership value that comes from that experience that we want to know about,” he said.

That kind of inclusive approach to hiring has been the foundation of Hot Chicken Takeover, a three-unit chain based in Columbus, Ohio, since DeLoss co-founded it in 2014.

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“This isn’t a minority community; this is America now” said DeLoss, noting that one in three adults in America have been involved with the law in a way that effects their employment eligibility.

As a result, the chain is focused not on “getting rid of the box” — a...

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About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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