These days, “Now Hiring” signs are about as ubiquitous across the U.S. landscape as stop signs, and the prevailing restaurant worker shortage continues to hamper food service operations.
At the close of September 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 10.4 million job openings in the U.S. Of those, more than 15%, nearly 1.6 million openings, were in the leisure and hospitality sector. This shortage continues to stress the existing workforce, test profitability, and threaten the long-term health of restaurants ranging from neighborhood pizzerias and sandwich shops to posh downtown eateries.