How the tables have turned
‘I just can’t wait to actually hear that buzz of people enjoying themselves. It’s been quiet for too long.’
Boston area restaurants are in a mad dash to staff their bars and kitchens as vaccinations and warm weather usher customers back to their tables.
“You could ask any chef in Boston what they’re doing. What are they not doing is the question. We’re yelling down the street, we’re posting Facebook ads, using headhunters. You name it, we’re doing it,” said Jason Santos, chef of Back Bay restaurants Buttermilk & Bourbon and Citrus & Salt.
Restaurants that closed through the winter to cut costs during the pandemic are finally reopening, and the return of patio season has drawn more corona-cautious diners back out.
Santos is particularly eager to hire kitchen staff and servers as he prepares to open a new Buttermilk & Bourbon restaurant in Watertown. Right now, he’s pulling employees from his other two restaurants to
DAN HENN Hawkeye restaurants group
help onboard the third location, but that’s not sustainable.
He’s far from alone. On April 8, Craigslist Boston’s site displayed more than 70 help wanted advertisements from local restaurants.
“That’s one common problem they all have: getting help,” said George Regan, whose public relations firm represents numerous restaurants and hotels in the area. “In order to bring back help, you have to pay them more and pass the increase on to the customers. The first problem was they didn’t have occupancy. Now they have occupancy, but they help.”
Dan Henn, managing partner of Hawkeye restaurants group, said much of the talent pool in the area for parttime positions left the city when universities went online for the pandemic.
“Once classes got canceled or went remote, it didn’t make sense to come back to Boston and pay the rent just to wait for restaurants to open back up again,” he said.
Henn is reopening Worden Hall in South Boston Monday, after opening both locations of Five Horses Tavern. He’ll need even more staff to reopen Somerville restaurant Elm Street can’t get
‘Some staff aren’t returning until they’re fully vaccinated.’
SIERRA PAPUGA catering and events director, Sweet Cheeks
Taproom later this month. He said the competition for experienced employees is steep, and for the first time, they’re getting no-shows to scheduled job interviews.
Some would-be employees still harbor concerns about coronavirus, hiring managers said.
“Some staff aren’t returning until they’re fully vaccinated,” said Sierra Papuga, catering and events director at Fenway barbecue restaurant Sweet Cheeks told the
Herald.
“When it comes to managers, we even look outside of Boston to see if there’s somebody who’s considering making a move,” Henn said.
But after weathering the year they have, Henn said a crush of customers is a manageable problem.
“I just can’t wait to actually hear that buzz of people enjoying themselves. It’s been quiet for too long,” he said.