Restaurant Staffing Issues
Will Sleddens
Author
03/20/2022
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2
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Description
SPJ Mark of Excellence Region 7 Finalist 2022
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- [00:00:00.320]If you've been out to
- [00:00:01.153]eat recently, you may have noticed that your
- [00:00:02.860]favorite restaurants are understaffed, have reduced hours,
- [00:00:05.900]or may have even closed.
- [00:00:07.600]As Nebraska's unemployment has reached record lows of 2%,
- [00:00:11.080]many local restaurants (people chattering)
- [00:00:12.280]are struggling to find staff.
- [00:00:14.220]Alex Collins, bar manager at Fireworks Restaurant,
- [00:00:17.090]says this has been a challenge for his employees.
- [00:00:19.680]Before COVID,
- [00:00:20.530]we ran with usually about 12 to 13
- [00:00:23.380]servers on the floor with two runners, basically.
- [00:00:27.420]And now, we have (people chattering)
- [00:00:29.090]about eight servers on the floor.
- [00:00:31.010]So, we're run about three quarters,
- [00:00:34.220]and that's staffed well right now.
- [00:00:37.770]The executive director of
- [00:00:39.090]the Nebraska Restaurant Association
- [00:00:41.240]says this comes as yet another blow to restaurants
- [00:00:43.850]after years of COVID-related challenges.
- [00:00:46.910]A lotta times it feels like our industry
- [00:00:48.830]is suffering death by
- [00:00:49.860]a thousand cuts.
- [00:00:51.250]And I try to talk to my members
- [00:00:52.750]and say, look, (people chattering)
- [00:00:53.583]if we can just find that 1000th and 1 Band-Aid,
- [00:00:58.320]we'll probably be okay.
- [00:00:59.153]But it's just, it's just debilitating to people right now.
- [00:01:02.480]We have people who have had COVID and died.
- [00:01:06.130]We have people who have had COVID and have long-lasting
- [00:01:08.800]effects and cannot come back to work.
- [00:01:10.780]And then, the supply chain (people chattering)
- [00:01:12.780]issues are killing us.
- [00:01:14.890]Alex says in addition to a steady flow
- [00:01:16.920]of dine in business, the growing popularity
- [00:01:19.180]of their takeout (people chattering)
- [00:01:20.013]has made it difficult to keep up as well.
- [00:01:23.859]Well, it's definitely a lot more stressful
- [00:01:25.660]for the people that are here.
- [00:01:28.290]Despite the challenges, Alex says the staff
- [00:01:30.830]has remained in good spirits.
- [00:01:33.610]For the servers, I know they're, at the end of the shift,
- [00:01:36.460]they're usually pretty happy.
- [00:01:37.580]They're even having
- [00:01:38.413]a little fun along the way. (kitchen buzzing)
- [00:01:40.700]We just threw a (music playing distantly)
- [00:01:41.533]big employee party to help celebrate everyone
- [00:01:44.550]through this last few months, rough patch though.
- [00:01:48.610]Christina Bugay, the executive sous-chef
- [00:01:51.020]of Piedmont Bistro by Venue, says she's seen her staff
- [00:01:54.180]come together in a similar way.
- [00:01:56.100]So yes,
- [00:01:56.933]I do feel that the staff has become a lot closer during this
- [00:01:59.630]because we are what we call a bare-bones staff.
- [00:02:02.440]So, there's not a lot of us.
- [00:02:04.010]And we're all working together nearly every day.
- [00:02:08.661](kitchen buzzing)
- [00:02:09.494]Both Christina and Alex say the businesses
- [00:02:11.190]have raised wages and offered incentives such as
- [00:02:13.670]hiring bonuses to attract more staff.
- [00:02:16.200]So far, Christina says it's working.
- [00:02:19.140]Seems like it's starting to come around, actually.
- [00:02:22.000]Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants have closed down,
- [00:02:24.820]so that opens a window for us
- [00:02:26.401]to hire those people that have left the other restaurants
- [00:02:30.870]and to come to here.
- [00:02:32.086](kitchen buzzing)
- [00:02:32.919]Olson says she's not sure
- [00:02:34.020]when the problem will come to an end,
- [00:02:35.990]but for now,
- [00:02:36.823]she has one (bowl clanks)
- [00:02:37.656]piece of advice for anyone going out to eat.
- [00:02:39.910]Please be kind.
- [00:02:41.930]Tip generously. (chuckles)
- [00:02:44.330]And enjoy your fabulous meals that come
- [00:02:46.790]from Nebraska Restaurants.
- [00:02:48.987](people chattering)
- [00:02:49.820]Reporting for the Nebraska News Service,
- [00:02:51.510]I'm Will Sleddens.
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