Restaurant Staffing Shortages Don’t Have To Be the Norm

More than three years and six million jobs later, the restaurant industry reached a milestone this fall. Employment, after having plummeted into the pandemic pit, completed its climb back to the surface.This is a breakthrough, for sure. The picture could not have been bleaker in 2020, as we all recall. Facing COVID-induced restrictions and worried customers, tens of thousands of restaurants closed within the first year of the pandemic. Many others cut their hours of service and skimped by with skeleton crews as employees either had to be let go or quit. Owners still shudder when asked about those dark days. 

Grit and determination, though, brought many businesses back and drove adjustments and innovation. 

So, yes, the industry should celebrate. 

But only to a point. Restaurant owners know that not everything has returned to normal. The idea of “normal” itself isn’t even clear anymore. From delivery services and automation to customer habits and employee behavior, the…