With the third round of stimulus checks going out in recent weeks, there’s been a bit of a backlash by some business owners, who have argued that the arrival of checks are disincentivizing work, especially at the low-wage end.

Economists and commentators have argued about that point, with some stating that one-time payments are unlikely to have that specific effect. Others have argued that if employers are having trouble finding people to work in the current environment, they should solve the problem by raising their wages.

A Wendy’s in Ohio has found a humorous way to deal with this dynamic. According to local news station WIS, the fast-food location has put up a sign stating “now offering stimulus checks twice a month,” as a way of saying “we’re hiring.”

It appears to only be that one Wendy’s that put up the sign, and the managers of the store have not made any public comments about their incentive for doing so.

There was another viral image recently, also involving a fast food chain and the question of workers.

According to Fox News, a TikTok user took a video of a sign up at a McDonalds in Texas, stating “We are short-staffed, please be patient with the staff that did show up. No one wants to work anymore…”

"I don't think anybody is wanting to say it, but with unemployment, and the stimulus, tax income, everyone is kind of saying, ‘You know, I make more at home,’" the woman who posted the video, a nurse named Brittany, told Fox News. "They make more on unemployment, they make more with these benefits and they're just not wanting to go to work.”

As with the Ohio Wendy’s, it doesn’t appear that those who put up the sign, or the management of the store, have made any public comment about it. A spokesperson for McDonalds said that the chain is hiring around the country. It’s not stated outright on the sign that the McDonalds’ complaints about no one wanting to work is a direct result of the stimulus payments. And it’s also possible that the trouble with hiring is unique to that particular McDonalds location.

Fox also stated that the Texas video has drawn different reactions. Some have said that they don’t feel safe working in a restaurant with the pandemic still ongoing, while others have said that McDonalds should raise the pay and other conditions if it’s having trouble attracting employees.

Retail sales figures released by the federal government for March have stated that restaurant sales have improved dramatically, although they remain below pre-pandemic levels. The same is true, presumably, of employment figures at restaurants.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.