Restaurants Welcome Guests Back As They Deal With Staffing Shortages

Restaurants Welcome Customers As They Deal  With Staffing Shortages

Restaurants that have survived the pandemic, now cannot find staff to work in them!

Dining restrictions are finally lifting across the country!

People are getting vaccinated each day.

Great news for restaurants desperate for more business after getting hit hard last year.

But restaurants say they are facing a problem that could slow their way to normalcy, whatever normal is after a pandemic.

They cannot find enough people to work for them.

From March to April of last year, restaurants and bars lost 5.5 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jobs are coming back, but the sector is still 15%, or about 1.8 million jobs, below the pre-pandemic employment level, according to the National Restaurant Association.

It is not just high-end, independent restaurants that are feeling a labor pinch it is being felt across the industry.

Everybody is reopening or trying to and save their businesses.

The bigger restaurants are looking at 20 to 60 employees they need to hire, like right now. They can offer competitive pay and benefits. So, this really hurts the little guy trying to find a hand full of employees.

How Do Find Restaurant Workers in These Difficult Times?

You want to find star employees! You know the kind of worker who shows up early for their shifts. Their personality clicks with the culture you have created and the comfortable atmosphere your restaurant exudes.

You have got to give solid reasons for them to want to work at your restaurant!

Think of it as an investment.

A study by Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration showed that the cost of losing and replacing one hourly employee can be as high as $5,864.

Here is the TRUTH there is no getting around the fact that restaurant industry work is hard, with long days, late nights, big demands, and a fluctuating pay scale.

Though there are still a few things you can do to find and keep staff enjoying their restaurant job.

Some Solution Tips for Hiring & Keeping Employees

~Develop a Competitive Compensation Structure

Who gets paid hourly and who gets paid a salary?

It can depend on the job description, whether the employees are front-of-house or back-of-house.

What are the federal and local labor laws, and more in your county?

What else can you offer on top of competitive restaurant wages?

~New Hire Training Program

A lack of opportunities for growth & poor of training is one sure way to not draw potential workers.

Once you have developed your training program, intertwine it with your core values.

Basically, you want to let them know what your restaurant stands for.

You want to convey that the workplace environment is safe, offers career growth, and promotes diversity and equality.

~Employee Benefits

Benefits are crucial to employees!

I was always disappointed in how many restaurants did not offer them during my career. One reason that I wanted to own a restaurant, to be treated and to treat others the way a company should!

Benefits are a sense of financial security and wellbeing, but the restaurant industry has some of the highest rates of underinsured and uninsured workers.

Hiring the Right People

Hiring the right people for each job in your restaurant must start with your leadership. As a restaurant owner, your values must resonate with you first before you can show and teach others.

Good luck staffing your business!

Here are some sites to check out when you are ready to look for the RIGHT staff.

https://www.indeed.com/

https://www.glassdoor.com/

https://www.restaurantjobs.com/

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