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Date: 11/24/2021
ENFIELD, CT – During the pandemic, many businesses have been understaffed, including restaurants, and they have been forced to come up with new strategies to keep their businesses running.
According to a September survey by the National Restaurant Association, “Seventy-eight percent of operators said their restaurant did not have enough employees to support existing customer demand. Eighty-three percent of operators said their restaurant was more than 10 percent below necessary staffing levels. Thirty-nine percent of understaffed operators were more than 20 percent below necessary staffing levels.”
The survey also states, “As a result of being understaffed, 68 percent of operators say their restaurant reduced hours of operation on days that it is open for business. Forty-six percent of operators cut back on menu items, while 45 percent closed their restaurant on days that it would normally be open. Forty-four percent say they reduced seating capacity as a result of being understaffed.”
Reminder Publishing spoke with restaurants in the area to discuss the hardships their businesses have endured.
On Oct. 3, owner/chef George Akkouris of Golden Irene’s Restaurant on 18 Mullen Rd. in East Windsor, CT, posted a help wanted ad on his Facebook page in search of hiring dedicated individuals to work at the restaurant. He explained that he’s looking to fill several positions including bartender, server, host, line cook and dishwasher. “We don’t have enough staff to open up fully,” Akkouris responded. “We lost three cooks during COVID[-19]. When you lose people, it leaves a hole in our staff, but the problem is that there wasn’t anybody there to replace them so we were running short staffed for a long time.”
Golden Irene’s Restaurant first opened in 1982. Akkouris said on average employees stay with them for over four years, and now it’s down to three years. He noted the restaurant is running “okay” due to their take-out. Noting that pizza sales have been almost 50 percent of Akkouris’ sales, he switched their business model from a sit-down restaurant to a half sit-down and half pizzeria. Akkouris said he had to change his business model to pizza because he couldn’t keep absorbing the food cost, as the prices of food have increased tremendously.
Akkouris explained how the price of chicken went up almost 40 percent, the price of beef went up to 37 percent and the price of frozen commodities went up to 30 percent. Plus, the price of flour is almost doubled. “We used to be a $25 to 30 a plate restaurant, now we’re like a $15 to $20 a plate restaurant. I’d rather be an everyday restaurant than a once-a-week restaurant,” Akkouris replied. “We are a part of the community and we care about the community. I know that it would be devastating to a lot of people if we closed. When I write or post anything online, everybody always text me ‘I hope you’re doing well.’”
Golden Irene’s is currently open from 3 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday and Friday to Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. (curbside only) and 3 to 10 p.m. (dine-in only).
In Somers, CT, husband and wife Fernando and Colleen Ceballos are the owners of Hometown Kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seafood is their specialty and they’re known for home-style comfort dishes like shepherd’s pie. When Reminder Publishing spoke with Colleen Ceballos in April of this year, she said it’s been tough throughout the pandemic, but they have a loyal clientele that keeps them afloat. During that time the couple were looking for applications for all positions in order to keep up and get the restaurant steadier. Now, Ceballos says that her husband is working 15 hours a day because they’re so short staffed.
“We still have the same clientele, but we’re going to need a lot more people now,” Ceballos stated. “We don’t have the outdoor seating anymore because the weather is colder. We have less than a dozen staff members. We lost a couple of staff that didn’t come back due to COVID[-19]. Our main staff is still here. The problem is we keep hiring people, but they keep leaving.”
She went on to say, “The restaurant is not doing bad right now as clientele is starting to come back quite a bit. We’re just trying to keep our prices as low as we can with all the prices skyrocketing.”
Hometown Kitchen is in need of a breakfast cook, prep cook, line cook with experience working in the kitchen and waitstaff. At this point, Ceballos said her husband and the staff are very exhausted and the restaurant is already closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Still, Ceballos is hopeful that everything will keep going in the upward direction and COVID-19 will simmer down. “Hopefully, we can get some staff one of these days and keep going because customers really enjoy the food,” Ceballos added.
Hometown Kitchen is located on 48 South Rd. Route 83. Their business hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those interested in applying can call at 860-265-3690 or email plazahometownkitchen@gmail.com.
Business is going in the right direction for Buona Vita Bar & Grill in Enfield, still however, owner Kelly Miller said with every step comes with its challenges.
Miller told Reminder Publishing their staff has been coming in waves and it’s been difficult for her to find kitchen staff, line cooks and dishwashers in particular have been the hardest to find. Six months ago, Buona Vita closed for lunch for a couple of weeks so they weren’t burning out the staff they do have due to them working more hours and stopped catering until they have a full staff.
“We’ve gone through 15 to 20 applications to get two or three people to come in for an interview and then one to actually show up,” Miller responded. “It’s been a process. A lot of people are applying, but nobody is following through with it. There are some that want to work for a few weeks and then they either quit or stop showing up.”
For the most part, Miller has kept most of her kitchen staff as well as her front of the house staff keeping her core bartenders and servers, but she says just finding one or two extra people seems to be challenging. Especially with the front of the house, Miller explained, as most of them are mothers and if their children are out of school, they have to stay out of school quarantining which creates a whole new issue.
Miller explained, “When you have a smaller staff, if one person has to be out for 10 days, that’s a big deal. The stress and wonder if people are going to show up or who’s calling out.”
In the meantime, Miller feels the restaurant is finally turning a corner. She said they’re in a much better place than they were a couple of months ago, yet she feels they could use one more solid person in the kitchen who’s going to last long term.
Buona Vita is on 284 N. Maple St. from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Those interested can find them on Indeed and Facebook to apply. For more information, call 860-749-5903.