Economy
Related: About this forumRestaurants have reopened their doors, but the workers haven't come back
When COVID-19 reached the U.S. and government restrictions set in -- closing indoor dining in much of the country -- millions of restaurant workers found themselves without jobs. But now, as restaurants are reopening and people are once again going out to eat, owners are facing a different challenge: Their workers haven't returned.
"If you look at who is working in restaurants in 2019 versus today, there's about a million people who have disappeared," said Micheline Maynard, Washington Post columnist and author of the soon-to-be-released book "Satisfaction Guaranteed: How Zingerman's Built A Corner Deli Into a Global Food Community."
The labor shortage is having wide-ranging effects on the industry. Many restaurants are having to cut hours, sometimes opening only for dinner service rather than all-day service. Some are even cutting entire days of service ... the real problem lies within the industry itself. The hospitality industry is already high-stress and physically taxing, and now the pandemic has brought new challenges, including an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. "Servers are tasked with reminding people that they have to have a mask on," Maynard said.
Those who return to restaurant work are also having to work harder due to staffing shortages. But because they're missing that extra set of hands, service becomes slower and tables don't turn over as quickly. "And the person who hears the complaints about that is the server," said Maynard. "It's hard on the staff, it's hard on the owners, they're stressed all the time [and] people are leaving."
https://abcnews.go.com/US/covid-19-pandemic-exposes-challenges-restaurant-industry/story?id=79852137
LizBeth
(9,952 posts)marble falls
(57,081 posts)LizBeth
(9,952 posts)DURHAM D
(32,609 posts)I would move on too.
I guess we should go back to automats. It will reduce contact with the unvaccinated idiots.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Horn & Hardart Automats.
There's a modern version:
They've Been Gone For 30 Years, But Now Automats Are Back With a High-Tech Twist
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/theyve-been-gone-for-20-years-but-now-automats-are-back-with-a-high-tech-twist/2852749/
ret5hd
(20,491 posts)supply/demand issue??? Its so complex, so intricate, so overwhelming.
I certainly hope none of these hard working and benevolent entrepreneurs fall for that communistic propaganda and start paying the workers a decent wage. That would be truly insane.
WA-03 Democrat
(3,050 posts)The free market will manage just fine on its own. Adam Smith would approve! Higher wages more workers!
pandr32
(11,582 posts)...and that workers are collecting extended benefits while living well. I would add the sarcasm emoji except this is a common complaint I keep hearing and reading. Even from family members which appalls me and breaks my heart. I find friends and family starting to regurgitate right-wing crap without realizing that's what they are doing--it is so insidious.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)Last edited Mon Sep 6, 2021, 02:51 PM - Edit history (1)
There was a sign at the front saying that the service desk would close early because of staffing issues. Maybe if they had a mask rule in the store they'd be able to find more people willing to risk working there.
PSPS
(13,595 posts)Restaurants shouldn't be open at all except for takeout/delivery. But we still have to mollify the maga.
snowybirdie
(5,227 posts)have more options now. Food delivery, Amazon, and supermarkets now delivering, all have siphoned people from restaurants.
marble falls
(57,081 posts)Runningdawg
(4,516 posts)Food servers and retail workers are being used as human shields by managers who refuse to protect them against customers who want to assault them or worse.