HELP WANTED | Valley restaurant staffing never fully bounced back after COVID-19

[Editor’s note: This is the second report in our multipart series “Help Wanted,” in which Mahoning Matters will review labor shortages in Mahoning County’s top employment sectors, focusing on jobs that are difficult to fill, have high turnover or are otherwise in high demand. Nationwide, 4.3 million people quit their jobs in December 2021 alone, according to federal data. This second report focuses on hospitality; others will focus on manufacturing, health care and other sectors. Have something to say about local employment rates or in-demand jobs? Email us at news@mahoningmatters.com or call us toll-free at 888-655-1012.]

There appears to be no clear end in sight to resolve significant staffing shortages in the food industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio restaurant officials said.

“We just need more people. … More dedicated people who want to work,” said Brian Berendt, co-owner of The Landmark Restaurant, which just opened a new Liberty Township location last month.

Since then, owners have been searching for “dedicated workers” to fill server, cook and hostess positions, to keep daily operations running. They’re looking for between 15 and 20 people for both locations.

Berendt said he feels it’s exponentially harder to keep a steady roster of available workers in the COVID era.

“Ticket times have been longer than normal because the kitchen is short-staffed, and it’s going to take servers longer to get to tables with no server hostess at the register” — it slows the whole operation down, he said.

Job-seekers can apply on Landmark’s Facebook pages for the Youngstown and Liberty locations. Otherwise, applicants can stop in either restaurant to apply in-person.

John Barker, president and CEO of Ohio Restaurant Association, said turnover rates are always high because restaurants usually hire high school and college students who normally do not stay in food service long term.

Since COVID-19 created new safety issues for staff returning to work, the turnover rate has reached an all-time high, he said.

“Now we’re seeing it at all age groups, and not just the younger ones. … That is something that obviously is concerning,” Barker said.

The number of people employed in the food service industry nationwide was halved by the pandemic, dropping from 12 million workers in April 2019 to 6 million in April 2020, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s since rebounded, but not fully. About 11.5 million people were employed in food service in October 2021, according to the bureau.

In the Mahoning Valley, there were 23,500 active leisure and hospitality workers this past December, which rebounded from a 10-year low of just 12,800 workers following Ohio’s COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020, according to the bureau. That workforce reached a 10-year high in June 2018 at 26,000 workers, the data shows.

Barker said the food service industry provides 585,000 jobs in Ohio, when restaurants are fully-staffed, citing surveys by the association. But as of December 2021, there were fewer than 518,000 workers, according to the labor bureau. That’s a difference of 67,000 unfilled restaurant jobs in the state.

“Every single one of the employers that we talk to is short-handed,” he said. “Whether it’s businesses in the Mahoning Valley or in Ohio — it’s everywhere.”

Barker said line cooks, hostesses and server positions are not the only positions that need to be filled. It’s also hard to find managers.

“It’s been heavy really in the last five years with the job market and then accelerated by COVID-19,” Barker said. “It’s every job. … Assistant, general and district manager jobs are available within food service.”

People are starting to step out of the workforce altogether from burnout and stress contributed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Barker said is concerning for the restaurant industry.

“It’s everything from people who’ve been through a lot and have decided that they don’t want to work anymore to people that have children or elderly parents that they’re taking care of,” he said.

Barker said people have also become more comfortable working from home, which creates an issue for restaurants looking to fill in-person positions.

“That’s the trend that we’ve seen here in the last few years,” he said. “It’s the Great Resignation, where we lost millions and millions of people who resigned from positions and have not gone back to work. … We’re waiting for that to correct itself.”

In the Mahoning Valley, the overall labor force peaked in 2011 at about 265,000 people, and dropped below 220,000 people in 2021, according to the latest employment statistics.

Nationwide, 4.3 million people quit their jobs in December 2021 alone, according to federal data. The service and retail industries were some of the hardest hit by those quits, according to the federal data.

Sweet Melissa’s Good Eats along Towncenter Avenue in Columbiana opened its new location this month and owner Melissa Poland said the new location is in need of part-time employees.

“We’re looking for people that can prepare veggies, we’re looking for people who can answer phones and ring people out,” she said. “Any job is available, so it’s just a matter of just getting you in here and then getting you trained.”

Poland said the Columbiana area has “responded very positively” to Sweet Melissa’s new location, so she had to pull employees from the Boardman location to meet the amount of orders coming in.

“This is a pretty grueling job because you’re on your feet for five-and-a-half to six hours,” she said. “Right now, I’m just particularly hiring for part time.”

Poland said people can call the Columbiana location at 330-892-0420 to apply for a part-time position.

Ohio restaurants are now supporting employees who may feel overworked or burned out by increasing pay rates and offering mental health services, Barker said.

“Our industry is working really hard to make our jobs more attractive by raising pay, providing signing and retention bonuses, focusing more on culture and careers for people in the restaurant industry,” he said.

The minimum cash wage for servers in Ohio is $4.65 per hour. The minimum combined wage, which includes tips, is $9.30, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.