Kansas City Blog

Earlier today, Fat City mentioned that Hardee's is hiring an attractive female for its ads. Assuming that position is out of reach, there are still more than 380,000 more jobs to be had this summer in the food industry, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Nationally, eating and drinking places are projected to add 381,800 jobs during the 2009 summer season, a 4.1 percent increase over their March 2009 employment level. The positive growth in summer employment is one indicator of the likely beginning of economic recovery for the restaurant industry. America's nearly one million restaurants remain one of the largest employers in the nation with its 13 million employees -- a number projected to grow by 2 million positions in the next decade.

Summer has always been a hiring time for the industry, with most of the jobs in vacation-destination states where restaurants want to make sure they have enough staff for tourist season. But this year, the NRA predicts new jobs will outgrow summer travel, mainly because restaurants are starting to feel more optimistic.

Missouri is expected to add 8,500 restaurant jobs, and Kansas 2,500.

Here's the full article and numbers by state.