Our Twitter Q&A with our F&B Director and Exec. Chef is about to begin! Tweet your questions using #TrumpDCJobs pic.twitter.com/gNp9DLf1qa
— Trump Washington DC (@TrumpDC) July 20, 2016
Will Donald Trump‘s controversial comments about immigrants make it difficult for restaurants in his DC hotel to hire staff? That’s one of the issues at the center of lawsuits between the Trump International Hotel and restaurateurs José Andrés and Geoffrey Zakarian, who backed out of deals to open restaurants there.
“The perception that Mr. Trump’s statements were anti-Hispanic made it very difficult to recruit appropriate staff for a Hispanic restaurant,” Andrés’s lawyers wrote in a complaint, responding to the Trump hotel’s initial $10 million breach-of-contract suit.
The hotel’s chef Oliver Beckert, who will oversee catering, banquets, and room service, told Washington City Paper in April that he wasn’t concerned about that. “I have worked with very diverse teams,” he said. “I’ve worked with many great Mexicans, and I think some of them might join me again,” he said.
But whoever is interested in joining Team Trump isn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity on social media. As part of its recruiting efforts, the Trump hotel team took to Twitter earlier today for a question-and-answer session about jobs. The initiative kicked off with an enthusiastic photo of Beckert along with Daniel Mahdavian, the hotel’s food-and-beverage director, holding cell phones and a bottle of Champagne.
But it turns out not the even internet trolls who worship the Republican presidential nominee mustered the energy to join in. The Q&A, using the hashtag #TrumpDCJobs, received so few questions the team began asking itself questions.
Chef David Burke, who will helm the hotel’s new flagship restaurant, BLT Prime, started things off: “When are we opening?”(September 12) Next, someone threw a softball about when they can make hotel reservations. (Answer: now.)
Finally, the hotel got a question from a guy whose bio reads “pissed off white american male:”
#TrumpDCJobs Need any help with cyber security?
— Jerry Mellen (@jerry_mellen) July 20, 2016
Sixteen minutes passed. No questions. Maybe they should ask themselves a question?
Do you know what a Trump Attache agent does? #TrumpDCJobs pic.twitter.com/4pjNkph43n
— Trump Washington DC (@TrumpDC) July 20, 2016
Better luck with round 2?
Thank you for participating in our HR Twitter Q:A today! Join us again for Round 2 today at 5:30pm! #TrumpDCJobs pic.twitter.com/ywbIDaX4AM
— Trump Washington DC (@TrumpDC) July 20, 2016
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
