After the last of the COVID restrictions have disappeared, and we're glad, for many, it's still been a rough 3 years, especially for the restaurants and the vendors and suppliers that provide services, products and equipment to them.
Besides supply chain issues, the lack of staffing has also become a major concern that wasn't as much of an issue prior to the pandemic. While some QSRs survived because of their already established drive-thru service business, it's the dine-in restaurants and bars that suffered the most. Just last week, a Starbucks location inside a local Safeway store had a sign up announcing that they were closing several hours early because of a lack of staff and the deli in that same Safeway store similarly had shortened their hours for the same reason. The staffing crunch however, has created additional problems. It has forced restaurateurs to offer higher wages and increased benefits in order to entice applicants and remain competitive for the people who are actually looking for food service work.
When filling FOH positions in your restaurant, remember that one of the most important things to look out for is "attitude." A person who appears to be genuinely friendly, helpful and engaging with others will be a better investment because that positivity translates to better service and experiences for your customers. All the staff in the world won't do a thing for your bottom line though as long as you don't have enough customers walking in the door.
The question is, have your customers returned and are they still coming back? If they're not, we can help. Time's a ticking.
Besides supply chain issues, the lack of staffing has also become a major concern that wasn't as much of an issue prior to the pandemic. While some QSRs survived because of their already established drive-thru service business, it's the dine-in restaurants and bars that suffered the most. Just last week, a Starbucks location inside a local Safeway store had a sign up announcing that they were closing several hours early because of a lack of staff and the deli in that same Safeway store similarly had shortened their hours for the same reason. The staffing crunch however, has created additional problems. It has forced restaurateurs to offer higher wages and increased benefits in order to entice applicants and remain competitive for the people who are actually looking for food service work.
When filling FOH positions in your restaurant, remember that one of the most important things to look out for is "attitude." A person who appears to be genuinely friendly, helpful and engaging with others will be a better investment because that positivity translates to better service and experiences for your customers. All the staff in the world won't do a thing for your bottom line though as long as you don't have enough customers walking in the door.
The question is, have your customers returned and are they still coming back? If they're not, we can help. Time's a ticking.
