McDonald's in Oregon puts up a huge banner asking '14 and 15-year-olds' to apply

​"Now Hiring 14 and 15-year-olds."

The call to action isn't shy. A McDonald's in Oregon is pushing towards a new business model: Hiring 14-year-old and 15-year-olds to help offset a shortage of workers in the COVID era.

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​The fast food industry has long relied on teen workers – mainly 16-and up – but this store in Medford, Oregon, put out a large banner to advertise directly towards potential teen workers even younger. The banner is still out front of the store, store manager Ashley Fincher confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday morning.

Restaurant operater (owner, basically) Heather Coleman told Business Insider that staffing has never been this bad in her family's four decades of operating McDonald's franchises. But once management opened the floodgates to the younger teens, Coleman said she received 25 applications in two weeks.