Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor

It was the scoop heard ‘round the world.

It was April Fool’s Day, but the joke was on Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor, Pittsburgh’s oldest (since 1923) and most beloved purveyor of frozen treats. They were preparing for the Spring and Summer busy season – but could not find enough employees. With 16 positions to fill and no applicants, owner Jacob Hanchar turned to us.

The pandemic changed everything, of course, but as things were finally starting to open up and vaccinations were becoming commonplace, and a worker shortage was becoming obvious for many restaurant and retail businesses. It was getting hard to get people to come back for low-wage, stressful jobs dealing with the public.

So we conferred with Klavon’s owner Jacob Hanchar, and asked: “What if you offered employees $15 an hour (plus tips)?” That’s generally considered the standard for a living wage (though it can obviously vary by state and city). Pennsylvania has been stuck at a $7.25 minimum wage since 2009.

Jacob ran the numbers and concluded that it would work. We thought if we did it first and publicized it – even issuing it as a sort of challenge to other businesses to do better would get some attention.

“The Graceland of Pittsburgh ice cream knows how sweet a living wage is,” said Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.

“I’m happy to see Klavon’s, a city treasure, set the bar for a livable wage,” chimed in Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

Almost every local media outlet covered Klavon’s in some fashion, and it was the talk of the town. Soon afterward, a Pittsburgh Business Times story about companies attracting employees with better pay appeared with Klavon’s as the lead example.

Suddenly, the story went viral on Twitter and was being quoted and Tweeted by writers and thought leaders across the political spectrum. Britain’s Daily Mail – one of the most-read websites in the world — picked it up. MSNBC scheduled an interview with Hanchar via Zoom on Stephanie Ruhle’s morning show to discuss his business expertise. Everyone from Bernie Sanders to actress Debra Messing tweeted about it to their millions of followers.

Perhaps most importantly, Klavon’s became flooded with thousands of job applications. They had the choice of the crème de la crème of ice cream scoopers for their summer season and the assurance of a loyal and committed (and happy) labor force for the foreseeable future.