To avoid soaring costs, some restaurants are closing earlier or
shutting their dining rooms. Robin LaForge decided to shut his restaurant, Cheniere Shack in West Monroe, Louisiana, for two days a week and close it an hour earlier on the days it is open after staffing fell by roughly three-quarters. Mirna McCormack, who owns Korner Cafe in
Lewisville, Texas, is closing it around six hours earlier most days.
Some restaurants are also charging customers more. Devor, for example, has
put prices up every month since May because of growing labor and ingredients costs.
He said he wanted to raise prices even further, but was worried that it would deter customers. McCormack similarly said she thought her cafe's retired clientele would be put off by price hikes.
Because of the labor shortage, restaurant owners have also been spending more time cooking or serving customers themselves.
McCormack said she had started working 12-hour shifts most days before ultimately slashing the cafe's opening hours. LaForge, meanwhile, said he was now spending more time doing prep work in the kitchen and had to restructure his menu because he didn't have as much time to think up specials. He added that his wife, who's undergoing cancer treatment, was having to help out.
Some restaurants have ultimately crumbled under the pressures of the tight labor market.
Taco Crush in
McKinney, Texas,
closed down in September after being left with just three kitchen workers. Owner Paul Horton told Insider that
larger companies had poached some of his staff with offers of much higher wages or benefits.
Convert your restaurant to a food truck. That seems to be the latest trend.
Who said anything about fighting? Do the world a favor and drink a bleach smoothie. You sound like a drifter/Trump supporter.
