Like many companies, Disneyland Paris is struggling to recruit in the catering sector. Continuous services, internal mobility and diversity of food concepts are highlighted to candidates.
At Disneyland Paris, more than 1,000 positions are to be filled in the catering trades – 700 on fixed-term contracts, mainly for the high spring-summer tourist season, and 350 on permanent contracts to replenish the workforce following departures have occurred. during confinement, or compensate for movements. The company highlights its internal mobility policy and the diversity of its catering offers: 59 restaurants (traditional cuisine, counters, table service), a buffet service and 10 bars, allowing the 3,500 employees of this division to evolve in very different areas. “We don’t just cook burgers or fries”supports Cécile Balta, Director of Recruitment and Employer Branding.
Europe’s leading tourist destination, with 16,000 cast members, celebrates its 30th anniversary in Marne-la-Vallée (Seine-et-Marne). The opportunity to make known its assets. “We have long since shut down services, even though we weren’t promoting it. At home, many people have realized the importance of preserving their family life. In January 2020, before the first confinement, a major recruitment campaign had been launched, all departments combined, with the strengths of the public transport service, the 500 professions exercised or the multi-cultural richness.
The possibility of working 35 hours on a permanent contract is also being pushed to promote the recruitment of catering employees, who are expected to number 900 in 2022. 87 kiosks and gourmet carts have been installed. In table restaurants, 250 seats are recorded on average, with around forty servers per establishment. The Buffets department has 510 cast members, who can work in dedicated restaurants or in the two convention centers. “The buffets are very popular with our customers; we serve nearly 2,500 people a day at Plaza Gardens in Disneyland Park. We also have a team Food special events”describes Nicolas, assistant breakfast manager at the Cheyenne hotel.
“All our bars are different”
Less known, the bars of Disneyland Paris (89 people) nevertheless benefit from a certain aura within the profession. “Our bartenders take part in competitions outside. We have nuggets that are revealing themselves. It is not easy to reconcile large volumes and quality, but we manage to do it and we have the chance to touch the whole range of bars”says Robert Henry, catering manager.
At Disney Village, the Sports Bar broadcasts the main sports competitions around a wide range of beers, whileat Billy Bob’s, dancing events are organized, with less predictability on attendance than in hotels, where customers have previously booked and consume on site. Signature cocktails are present in each establishment.
“All the bars are different at Disneyland Paris and have a dedicated theme, both in the hotels and in the Disney Village. In this place, the clientele is very heterogeneous, coming from the parks or passing through thanks to the proximity of the station. With a much wider hourly amplitude than in traditional bars, there is less monotony”, continues Valentin, senior bartender at the Sports Bar. Recruitment is carried out for the Barman Additional Mention, or by raising the skills of certain employees.
“We have to convince parents and demystify the profession”
Like many companies in the sector, Disneyland Paris uses apprenticeships for certain job profiles – mainly clerks, waiters and bartenders. However, potential candidates are not the most difficult to convince, observes Laura de Scitivaux, Campus manager: “we have to do some work with the parents, in order to convince them that it is possible to find fulfillment in the catering industry and that work-study programs are not a dead end. This is the best way to enter the active life!”
Breaches of contracts are however noted with profiles new to the sector (CAP cuisine or pastry, for example): “the numerous cooking shows on television give a starred image of the profession, different from reality.”
