Ryan Zygmunt has been posting help wanted ads for his restaurant, Crystal Inn in Warwick, for the past eight months.
From Indeed andZip Recruiter to paid ads onCraigslist,Zygmunt has used almost every job search website there is to find help. But so far, he's only gotten two applicants.
This is becoming the new normal for restaurants in Orange County, Zygmunt said.
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"We're hiring for nearly all positions in the front and back of house, but no one is applying," Zygmunt said. "Right now weprobably have one of the worst employment markets ever."
On a regular day at the restaurant, Zygmunt would typically be able to help out behind the bar, refresh the salad stationor mingle with customers. But now, he spends all of his time in the kitchen right alongside the chef because he is so short-handed.
"I’ve been doing a lot of it myself whereas I used to be a floater," Zygmunt said. "Ican't go talk to a customer because something's going to burn in the kitchen. I can't really connect with the customers now. We’re open, but it's not efficient or as proper as it should be."
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last spring, restaurants have been struggling to find help. Zygmunt believes some of this may be due to the extra unemployment benefits offered to many without jobs during the pandemic.
Now that those unemployment benefits have ended, there is a glimmer of hope for restauranteurs like Zygmunt – but he's not believing it until he sees it.
"It didn't help our situation that many were making more on unemployment than they would in other jobs," Zygmunt said. "I'm afraid that because restaurants were shut down for a period of time during COVID that people who were in the industry left and found a different line of work."
Crystal Inn has been around now for nearly 60 years – and while Zygmunt hasn't needed to close the restaurant on extra days due to his lack of help, he's definitely considered it.
"As we get into the busier season where we have tourists coming in for apple picking, it's only going to get tougher without having enough staff to service guests," Zygmunt said. "If I have to remove tables and turn people away, that will be my next step. I'd rather do that than provide them with service they're not happy with."
One restaurant that has needed to close down for a day due to staffing is The Jolly Onion in Pine Island. Ashely Weigel, the general manager, said they currently only have three people in the kitchen working to support the 200-seat restaurant.
"We've gotten applicants, but when we reach out to them, we don't hear anything back," Weigel said at the restaurant before opening on Wednesday. "It's definitely been tough all around."
Weigel, a graduate of Johnson and Wales University's culinary program, has found herself helping out in the kitchen more than anything. Another problem she's seen aside from staffing the restaurant is that deliveries from food companies are often late – or don't show up at all.
This is just another facet of the labor shortage in New York. Companies are short of drivers, just as restaurants are of chefs and waitstaff.
"We work around deliveries, but sometimes the truck just doesn't come," Weigel said. "In that case, we may have to change our specials or an entire part of our menu if the seafood truck doesn't come on Fridays, for example."
With the risk of catching COVID-19 at a busy restaurant, Weigel said she is certain that is why people aren't seeking out jobs in the restaurant industry.
"People are still being very cautious," Weigel said. "They don't want to be clearing off people's plates or glasses, or packing up foodthat people have already eaten from."
With the shortage of waitstaff and line chefs, that can only mean longer wait times at restaurants for diners. Unfortunately, that has caused a decrease in tips for servers – or some are left with none at all.
"The team we have now has gotten used to working with less staff," said Lauren Casale, a server at The Jolly Onion. "People see that we're running laps around the restaurant and reflect that in their tips. Others are the complete opposite."
While The Jolly Onion has needed to close down for just one extra day so far this season, other restaurants are closing up for good. One recent closure was Harmony's Bar and Grill in Slate Hill. A few staffers from that restaurant have now found new jobs at The Jolly Onion.
"I know that a lot of restaurants are at their wit's end," Weigel said. "A lot of places are decreasing hours or shortening their menus to make up for the labor shortage. And some simply can't keep their doors open. One thing's for sure is that there was no handbook on dealing with COVID as a restaurant. We're taking it day by day."
Kristen Warfield is the food and business reporter for the Times Herald-Record.Find my stories here. Reach me at kwarfield@gannett.com.
