In spring 2021, the restaurant industry grappled with severe labor shortages following pandemic-induced closures. Many former workers, who realized their undervalued contributions during layoffs, opted not to return, taking other jobs instead. Industry leaders expressed their dismay at the unprecedented hiring challenges, with some restaurants shutting down due to staffing difficulties. Five years later, the James Beard Foundation reports that many independent restaurateurs still struggle to hire and retain quality employees, marking a prolonged impact on the industry's labor landscape.
"Hiring is a nightmare," Caroline Styne, co-founder of Lucques Group in Los Angeles, told AP in June 2021. "I've never been in a situation like this."
Workers consistently noted how the forced time off made them realize the extent to which their labor was often undervalued in the industry, and chose to walk away.
A New York Times article that year reported that some restaurants were shutting down for months at a time because they were having so much difficulty finding workers.
Now five years removed from the onset of the pandemic, the labor market in restaurants is still suffering lingering effects.
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