Lubbock Restaurant Association President Chris Berry told EverythingLubbock.com Tuesday that with all of the new restaurants popping up around town, owners are having a hard time staffing their places.
On average, it takes about 50 to 100 people to staff a single restaurant in Lubbock, and that adds up quickly.
“Obviously, everyone’s very familiar with the influx of restaurants we’ve had lately, and all of us welcome competition because it brings a good variety for everyone and Lubbock to go out to eat a meal,” Berry said, “The issue has just been finding people to staff all of those [restaurants].”
Berry’s restaurant, “River Smith’s,” is facing the challenge of finding qualified workers.
“Right now, we’re probably understaffed, probably by about 10-15%,” Berry said, “Which isn’t necessarily abnormal for us this time of year. January is when we’ll ramp up, it’s one of our busiest times of the year.”
“River Smith’s” is not alone in the struggle of finding staff.
“A lot of my colleagues are in the same boat; they’re either understaffed or trying to catch up,” Berry said, “It just seems that over the last year and a half or so, it’s been a little tougher to find good, qualified individuals willing to come in and work the rigorous hours of the restaurant industry.”
Berry said a few good places to check for openings are job boards, restaurant websites, or even just stop by in person.
“Many of us are investing more money than we ever have to getting the word out to recruit and let everyone know that we’re hiring.”
If you’re going to apply, Berry said it’s all about personality.
“Really, we’re looking for a friendly face, somebody that can come in and interact with the other employees and with the customers and be productive and happy to be here.”
