Why America’s Restaurant Staffing Crisis Could Make It Harder To Go Out To Eat

As some restaurants consider shutting down due to staffing shortages, the social experience of going out to eat may become harder to come by.

Despite fears of a slowing economy driven by rising inflation and interest rates, the War for Talent still rages in the U.S. There are more than 11 million unfilled jobs across a range of industries. That means competition for people interested in working remains near all-time highs.

That puts the onus on employers to find ways to make themselves attractive to job seekers.

One industry that is particularly struggling to stay staffed is the restaurant business. Hit hard by the pandemic shutdowns, restaurants are trying to move past delivery and to-go orders and get back in in-house dining again. You know, providing that sense of “normal” of just going out to eat that we’ve all missed over the past few years. To do that, they’ve got to staff up.

According to recent data, in the past year, alone restaurants increased their hiring by 1,141% over prior years.

But there’s a catch: restaurants are struggling to retain many of those new employees they’re hiring—which means they’re still looking at an uphill battle to remain open.

the full article is Why America’s Restaurant Staffing Crisis Could Make It Harder To Go Out To Eat by Mark C. Perna