Austin Restaurants Finally Plow Through COVID-19 Crisis and Now Can’t Hire Anyone

I was talking to a restaurant owner several weeks ago. The conversation centered around an all too familiar subject – why Austin restaurants have been so short-staffed since early Fall.

He told me he’d had difficulty hiring line cooks, servers, and various front-of-the-house positions. These shortages had often led to unplanned early closings and a general disruption of the services he offered his customers.

His dilemma is hardly unique. Across the city, I’ve also heard reports of good-paying restaurant job openings remaining unfilled. So I decided to conduct my own mini focus group of restaurant workers to see if I could get some answers.

First, many had changed careers and gone into more lucrative supply chain jobs. Others had bad feelings over rude and abusive customers who punished them because of their restaurant’s masking policies. Still more said that working each day in the COVID-19 grind had simply burned them out and they weren’t ready to return. Others acknowledged that they were scared to return because of the omicron flare-up. While many said that money was important, even more pointed to the possibility of advancement and building a career.

Another overlooked issue was how restaurants advertised their open positions. My respondents said that they’d be more likely to inquire about a post where the restaurant didn’t seem “desperate” for employees but rather one that acknowledged and rewarded their unique capabilities.

So while by no means being comprehensive, my interviews underscored some pain points for would-be restaurant employees that could shed some light on the current hiring situation. And for those restaurant workers reading this who are thinking about possibly returning allow me to offer several suggestions.

In the course of my work over many years, I’ve come to know many owner-operators and the employee-centric workplace environments they create. P Terry’s would be a good place to start. Patrick Terry really gets it.

Another good place where employees are both rewarded and celebrated is Hoover’s Cooking, helmed by the inimitable Hoover Alexander. And when it comes to owners who put their employees first, Tom Gilliland at Fonda San Miguel is worth seeking out.

Another class act is Joe Cave owner of the eponymous Pizza Cave near Dripping springs. He’s looking for good people as this is being written.

So there’s the story for both restaurants and their prospective employees. I hope this has been helpful.