Operators are addressing the labor problem from different angles – and with short-term and long-term strategies. Larger restaurant brands have been able to boost wages and offer retention and referral bonuses to entice workers to join (and remain at) the restaurant. CNBC reported that brands including Papa John’s, McDonald’s, Darden Restaurants, Chipotle, Texas Roadhouse, Burger Fi and P.F. Chang’s are among the brands offering such incentives. Restaurants are also trying to circumvent hiring and retention challenges by adopting more technology that can automate a wide range of front- and back-of-house functions once handled by staff – tasks ranging from the streamlining of orders from multiple sources to the management of inventory. To be sure, these actions may be more feasible for larger, resource-rich restaurant brands, but there are solutions for smaller independents. This past summer, for example, New York announced a $35 million aid program designed to encourage independent restaurants throughout the state to hire more workers
– for every new hire, the restaurant could get a $5,000 state tax credit, up to a maximum of $50,000 per operation, Restaurant Business reported. (Learn more about that program at esd.ny.gov.) |