“Now hiring,” “Help wanted,” followed by some text highlighting how much the job will pay an hour (and a signing bonus!). We have all seen these signs in restaurants in the past few months — from fast food places to family-owned favorites.
The staff shortages many restaurants are experiencing are negatively affecting the services they provide — whether that be limited operating hours, a slower rate of service or a hike in their menu prices.
Therefore, we shouldn’t be too surprised that we aren’t getting the service that we usually expect.
This has been the case for some restaurants located close to UNC. For example, Omar Castro, the co-owner of Breadman’s, couldn’t provide a comment to the Carolina Alumni Review during a busy brunch shift, as the restaurant was so short-staffed he had to personally wait tables.
Another example is Dame’s Chicken and Waffles, located on Franklin Street. Even with COVID-19 restrictions being lifted earlier this year, the restaurant struggled with operating hours and was short-staffed. Dame’s was open for lunch on weekdays and only expanded its hours after hiring new staff.
These examples show that even though things may seem to be gradually returning to normal, there are certain aspects that might be affected for a long time even after the worst of the pandemic has passed.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor reported that employment at eating and drinking establishments in May was still 1.5 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels, down by about 12 percent.
There isn’t one definitive cause of the labor shortage, and it has become a point of political contention. Republicans argue the unemployment benefits the government provided during the pandemic are taking away the incentive for people to return to work. Meanwhile, Democrats argue the often low minimum wage of working at restaurants discourages potential workers from returning.
However, another explanation is that the issue lies with the industry itself, and the effects of the pandemic simply made the problems more apparent.
