The vacant position for a receptionist at its Manchester restaurant 20 Stories received 963 online applications in less than a day, before it was closed due to unprecedented interest.
The figure highlights the lack of hospitality roles currently available in the industry and the huge rise in unemployment as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The sheer number of applicants is staggering, we’ve never seen such a large number come through in such a short amount of time," says Carol Cairnes, D&D London’s director of people.
"Whilst it means we will have the pick of an incredibly large number of highly qualified candidates, it’s very sad to see how many people are in need of employment.
"I would love to be able to offer them all the position, but of course that’s just not possible at this time.”
The restaurant group is not the only hospitality business to report a huge surge in jib applications. Almost 500 people applied for two positions at the Alexandra pub in Wimbledon, with general manager Mick Dore sayng he would normally expect only a handful of applications for the £9 an hour roles.
The Fitzrovia Belle Pub and Hotel in central London also reportedly received some 400 applications for a couple of job vacancies.