Chicago (CBS) – Some Chicago restaurants are changing their hours of operation.
It is not due to a shortage of customers. It is a labor shortage.
Jackie Kostek of CBS2 works in Chicago and reports what restaurateurs are up against.
CBS 2 spoke with the owner of Moe’s Cantina, which owns three other restaurants in Chicago. Moe’s is currently closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays due to a shortage of restaurant workers.
âWe have no employees. We don’t have lunch. We don’t accept brunch, âsaid Sam Sanchez, owner of Moe’s Cantina. âDepending on the employee’s fatigue, there are days when we have to close the branch. “
Sanchez owns four restaurants across Chicago.
âOpening all four places for lunch, brunch, everything would require around 300 employees,â says Sanchez.
Sanchez is far from the only owner in town struggling to increase its workforce.
Sam Toia is president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. He said many restaurants need to limit their operations to avoid employee burnout.
âMany restaurateurs are closed one day a week in order to be able to give vacations to members of their team,â explains Toia. âBecause they can’t work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. You’re just going to kill them.
The restaurant industry is tough in good times, Toia says, but the pandemic has created unemployment, childcare issues and a labor shortage complicated by workers finding new ones. opportunities.
âMany people in the hospitality industry have turned to other industries such as Amazon, UPS and the cannabis industry,â explains Toia.
Sanchez and Toia believe these workers are dead forever, but like farm workers, they are now pushing for new legislation that will provide work visas for immigrants coming to the United States to work in the hospitality industry. ..
Between that and offering higher wages, more flexible hours and bonuses, Sanchez is doing what he can to weather the storm.
So when will this storm pass?
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Toia said a smooth journey would not be possible until the convention and conference industry was revived. And it can be for a while.
âWe see a pretty difficult situation here, probably for 12 to 18 months,â explains Toia.
Moe’s Cantina is far from the only place we currently use.
Alinea Group and Navy Pier are hosting career fairs on their respective sites on Thursday July 15th.
Job seekers have the opportunity to speak with representatives from several pier-wide companies, including:
* American dogs and burgers
* Aramark
* Garrett popcorn store
* Make history * Margarita Building
* Taiko’s belly
* Coastal tour
* Navy Pier store
After. You can attend the event for free. Registration is not compulsory.
Click here More information on the restaurants of Linear group..
Restaurant owners explain why you should limit time to avoid burnout – CBS Chicago