Restaurant operators in Charlotte build labor pool with better benefits, streamlined operations

CHARLOTTE — It’s a mixed bag when it comes to hiring for Charlotte’s restaurant operators, as the impact of the pandemic continues to have a ripple effect nearly three years later.

Some establishments have hit normal staffing levels, citing a focus on culture, increased wages and benefits as pivotal in attracting employees. Others say those types of efforts haven’t been enough; they’re streamlining kitchen operations, trimming menus and raising prices as well as hiring employees that might not be the best fit for their business.

“I think it’s market specific, concept specific and it is wage driven. Everyone has had to come up to compete,” says Kris Reid, executive director of the Piedmont Culinary Guild, which supports independent operators and the local food systems in the Charlotte metro.

She says most operators have found the staff they need — or figured out how to operate with fewer hourly employees. Reid is hearing from the guild’s membership about a need for management staff versus hourly employees.

“The last six months have been really stable. It’s just not the panicked calls I have gotten in the past,” she says.

The restaurant sector has experienced 23 months of employment growth, adding 62,100 jobs in November, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The industry is still 462,000 jobs — or 3.7%— below its pre-pandemic peak of nearly 12.4 million. Roughly 11.9 million people worked in the restaurant industry in October.

Read here to learn how local operators are dealing with the situation.

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