‘Help wanted’ signs adorn many freshly re-opened Wisconsin restaurants, as the pandemic relents and dining out returns.
Some are even offering cash incentives and better pay.
“Restaurants are really having a difficult time,” Kristine Hillmer, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association tells WTMJ. “They’re really pulling out all the stops to really try to attract people to even apply to their open jobs, whether its bonuses, incentives, raising their wages, and so on. They’re really struggling. Especially at a time where they have to make up for 15 months of lost revenue, it’s a pretty difficult situation.”
A survey recently done by the Association found that 83% of statewide operators had problems filling job openings.
Restaurants are having to curtail hours or in some cases not open at all because they don’t have enough staff.
“A lot of restaurants are not open their regular schedule pre-pandemic. They’ve either cut hours, cut back the days because they can not afford to burn out the existing staff that they have, much less expand because they can’t find those additional workers.”
For the full interview with Hillmer on Wisconsin’s Morning News, click in the player above.