One Illinois McDonald's is trying something different to attract workers: offering them a new iPhone

In an attempt to get people interested in working at McDonald's, one franchise in Altamont, Illinois is giving out free iPhones to new hires.

The gimmick went viral on Twitter after a passerby snapped a photo of the "now hiring" poster in the window. The poster says employees who meet the criteria will receive an iPhone after six months of employment. 

The phones are only being promoted at this owner-operator's McDonald's location, where wages start at $13 an hour. Minimum wage in Illinois is $11 per hour.

The company has employee programs and benefits to help the owner-operators of franchises stay competitive in the challenging hiring market, Mark Salebra, chair of the U.S. National Franchisee Leadership Alliance, said in a statement to CBS News.

McDonald's typically ramps up its hiring in the summer, and owner-operators deploy various programs at their franchises, like pay incentives such as sign-on and referral bonuses and benefits like offering paid time off, McDonald's USA says. 

Earlier this month, McDonald's said its company-owned restaurants were looking to hire 10,000 new employees over three months. It also said it would raise hourly wages by an average of 10% for more than 36,500 employees at McDonald's-owned restaurants.

"These increases, which have already begun, will be rolled out over the next several months and include shifting the entry level range for crew to at least $11 - $17 an hour, and the starting range for shift managers to at least $15 - $20 an hour based on restaurant location," the company said in a news release.