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Restaurants new and old face staffing shortages, local restaurant raises wages to find workers

"Now hiring" signs can be seen on doors across the First Coast. Some restaurants have had to cut hours and shrink their menus because of the lack of staff.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Staffing shortages continue in the hospitality industry, and it’s affecting restaurants new and old.

European Street Café in Riverside posted on Facebook, saying they had to limit their menu items because they didn’t have enough staff to serve customers. 

At many other restaurants, you'll find "now hiring" signs.

Sugarfire BBQ opened up last week on limited hours with limited staff. They’re still hiring and hoping they can open up their doors soon for seven days a week.

Even with more than a year of planning, operating manager Shy Patel says they still need to hire more people.

“I’m very lucky to have what we have, and we have a lot of school students and they go back to school as you know in another week or two," Patel said. "And then what?”

They’re closed for two days of the week which Chef Mike Johnson says is two days too many.

“We’re having a tough time hiring people. We still need to hire a lot of people, like a lot. Like 15 to 20 more people," Johnson said. 

You can apply inside from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“It still feels like it’s a struggle right now," Patel said. "I think people got used to staying home. It’s kind of hard to find people.”

To solve a problem, you have to figure out what’s causing it. There are a few theories as to why restaurants can’t find enough staff to hire. Some say people got comfortable on unemployment checks, some people decided being a stay-at-home parent was more beneficial and others found new jobs in different industries that pay more. 

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V Pizza in Jacksonville Beach realized the latter might be something they could work on.

Chief Operating Officer says they solved their staffing shortage issues.

“We started making sure our employees and our new hires knew that we were going to guarantee they make at least 15 bucks an hour," Villmow said. "Which is a small increase and an expense for us as a company, but it made a big difference in getting people in the door and wanting to work for us.”

He says they're back to normal staffing, but they aren't back to normal. V Pizza reinstated mask requirements for staff as the delta variant outbreak is causing a steep rise in COVID-19 cases on the First Coast. 

The good news is they are open and able to stay open, and that's the goal for many restaurants right now.

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