Salinas restaurants struggling to find employees to hire
Hiring back people in the restaurant industry has been a challenge for many local businesses. As restrictions are slowly lifted and more diners are eating inside, finding the staff to accommodate the clientele is tough.
According to businesses, the challenge is not only finding people but finding the right people. They are seeing a lot of former employees opting not to come back. One of the reasons there is because of the inconsistency with restaurants reopening.
"We have staff then we have to let them go ... then we ask them to come back," said Sergio Alejo, Stonie's Owner.
One minute restaurants are open, the next they are closed or scaled down to tier status. The back and forth is making it hard for restaurant owners to retain staff because the promise of their job isn't guaranteed in a pandemic.
"It's been crazy; it's been chaotic. And now people starting to come out and it has been overwhelming, flocking to restaurants, they want indoor dining. and we don't have the staff to accommodate that," Alejo said.
At Stonie's in Salinas, Alejo said applications are coming in but prospective employees are new to the restaurant industry. This is leaving businesses to start from the beginning with training and certifications.
Alejo said, "so it's been really challenging to find those that are qualified or have that experience in the restaurant business."
Portobello's in Salinas is looking for people that want to work. They too said it's been a struggle.
"I expect people want to work. I like to work., our staff working right now likes to work," said Susan Gibbons, Portobello's owner.
Although Gibbons is happy to see an influx in guests, she said staff might not be coming back because she can't offer them what they want.
"They want more money and we don't have it. We've all been struggling through this. My husband and I haven't had a salary in a year. It's been a struggle," Gibbons said.
Owners are asking people who have experience and want to work to stop by their restaurants. Restaurants said they have turned to sites like social media, and job hiring applications like ZipRecruiter or Indeed to find employees.