Hard Rock Talks : Job-Seekers Interview at New Newport Beach Cafe

The out-of-work and desperate joined the star-struck and ambitious seeking jobs at the new Hard Rock Cafe, opening here next month.

The restaurant at Fashion Island Newport Beach is hiring 150 people. Ten times that many from all over Southern California turned out Monday to fill out applications.

Gail DiBernardo drove 75 miles from Temecula to seek work as a food server. DiBernardo, 33, lost her job as a cocktail waitress two months ago. Before that, she had worked for 10 years as a mental health counselor before being laid off.

“A lot of people are looking for work these days,” she said. “It’s tough finding any job.”

Paul Doheny, 35, also needs a job--any job. Besides servers, the Hard Rock Cafe is seeking hosts, cooks, table busers, dishwashers and cashiers.

Doheny said he has been a bartender for 10 years but is looking elsewhere because his last two paychecks bounced. “The safe money, I hope, is to apply here,” he said.

Penny Channey, 28, who used to help others find jobs, is now sharing their despair. The former Los Angeles County job counselor was laid off almost two months ago because of budget cuts.

“I’ve been applying everywhere,” she said as she waited in line Monday. “I thought it would be easy to find a job. I have to find one. . . . I can’t pay my bills.”

Since the recession began in July, 1990, Orange County has lost 78,600 jobs, many of them in high technology.

Among the latest casualties is Kris Fox, 21, a computer operator who was laid off two weeks ago. Fox told a Hard Rock interviewer Monday that he is willing to learn any job in return for a paycheck.

“The electric company doesn’t care if you’re a waiter,” the Buena Park man said. “And right now, I just need to pay my bills.”

Hard Rock Cafe estimates that the interviewing, which continues today and Wednesday, will draw 3,000 applicants.

That hundreds of hopefuls would appear didn’t surprise Hard Rock Cafe officials. They attributed the interest to the restaurant chain’s international reputation: rock n’ roll ambience with loud music, reasonably priced food and an emphasis on environmental consciousness.

“We had this kind of response in Las Vegas,” said James P. Rees, vice president of operations for the restaurant chain at its West Hollywood headquarters. He noted that thousands applied for about 100 jobs there last year.

Some of those in line Monday at Fashion Island, though, were there in the hope of eventually being discovered.

“The job to have to reach my ultimate schedule, which is becoming a TV and film actor, is at the Hard Rock,” said Lee Erickson, 23. “You never know what will happen.”

That positive outlook may be just what it takes to get the job. Energy, enthusiasm and personality will go far, Rees said, in landing a person a second interview.

“We feel that we can train them,” he said. “It’s much more difficult to teach someone how to be polite and friendly.”

Also, environmentally attuned people will score well, Rees said.

“We feel so strongly about getting the word out to the public, and the strongest way you can do that is by having a staff that is very environmentally aware. It’s amazing how those types of things go a long way with customers.”

Pete Romano, a Hard Rock Cafe manager who was on hand Monday to help conduct the interviews, said diversity is also a factor in the hiring.

“People don’t just want to see vanilla,” said Romano, who manages the chain’s Chicago restaurant. “They want to see chocolate and strawberry, too. Mainly, we’re looking for people who are upbeat and happy with themselves.”

He acknowledged, though, that projecting that image may not be easy for those who are discouraged after months of seeking work.

Scott Elsner has been out of a job for a year. The Costa Mesa man, laid off as manager of a restaurant, said the job search is depressing.

“It’s not too good out there,” said Elsner, 29. “There’s too many unemployed people.”

A free-lance artist from Glendora, Jaime Sullivan, said he wants to be sure he can keep up with his rent payments. “I need a second job,” he said. “I figure this place will be busy.”

The restaurant will open Nov. 8 at Fashion Island Newport Beach across from the Atrium Court between Robinson’s and Neiman Marcus.

The Newport Beach restaurant will be the 12th in the company’s West Coast division. The East Coast division, owned by Rank PLC in London, has another 12. Some of the best-known locations are in London, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Sydney.