China News Service, August 3rd. According to the US "World Journal" report, more than a month after the California economy reopened and restaurants resumed dine-in, reporters visited the Oakland Chinatown for several days and found that many restaurants were facing difficulties in recruiting workers.
A restaurant has been recruiting employees for more than seven months, but no suitable one can be found.
Some of those who came to apply for chef positions offered quite high prices, 30% higher than the salary before the epidemic, but the restaurant business was only 50% of what it was before the epidemic, and it is actually difficult for restaurants to afford such a high salary.
Charles Hung, owner of the Shandong Pavilion restaurant on 10th Street, Chinatown, Auckland, said on August 1 that after the outbreak, more and more takeaway orders have been made, accounting for 80% to 90%.
Since the economic reopening of California and the opening of dine-in restaurants, the number of people going to restaurants has increased, and it is estimated that they account for 30 to 40% of the total.
However, the take-out has declined, and the actual consumption quota has not increased significantly, because the back kitchen has increased its horsepower to produce as many dishes as possible.
Charles said that after the epidemic, because dine-in was not open and there were no need for too many people, most people were in charge of take-out, and only two employees were reduced.
With the reopening of the economy and the increase in dine-in food, the restaurant needs to add two woks. It has been recruiting for nearly 2 months, and it did not recruit people until mid-July.
"In the past, the media was published for two weeks (information), and there were 3 to 5 telephone inquiries. But now that the advertisement is published, there are only two or three telephone inquiries in a month. Some telephones are connected, and the other party will ask at the beginning. The monthly salary can How much money to give. I still said silly, but the other party was not interested. On the third call, I asked the other party how much money, as long as I can do it, it is easy to discuss. Now the salary of the wok, half-baked people apply, dare to apply Shout high prices and increase your monthly salary by 15%-20% than before."
Charles said that someone was willing to try for a day before, but he was obviously unqualified, so he didn't recruit either.
"The restaurant can do chores, but cooking is not good. If the cooking is not up to standard and the dishes are wrong, it must not be hired, otherwise the brand of the restaurant will be broken."
The salary of Charles's newly recruited employees rose by 15%. Taking into account the salary increase of new employees, the old employees should also increase, and the overall labor cost also rose by 10%.
Jimmy Lo, the general counsel of the Sakura Restaurant on the second floor of the Fuxing Center, said that after the outbreak, the government has unemployment benefits, and many employees are unwilling to work.
Even if they are willing to work, many of them do not meet the requirements, and the asking price is very high, 30% higher than before the epidemic. The restaurant business has not recovered and is unbearable.
Lu Kewei has worked hard in the catering industry for 50 years and has extensive experience.
He said that since the beginning of this year, the restaurant has been short of 4 employees, mainly chefs, and has not been able to recruit people.
Many applicants do not talk about what they can do, but they pay a high price when they open their mouths.
"Some are asking for directions, not thinking about work, just look at the market price. Some come over, and I ask him to try a few times and fry a dish. The other party is immediately scared and said to think about it, then turn around and leave. It can be seen that the standard is not enough."
Lu Kewei said that the standard is not enough, and the salary he asked for is 30% higher than before the epidemic.
Similar applicants have disrupted the workmanship market.
On the other hand, the epidemic has repeated, and customers have not given up their worries and are unwilling to come back for dinner. Therefore, the restaurant's takeout and dine-in business only reached 50% before the epidemic, which was just enough to maintain costs.
Various factors have superimposed, resulting in 4 employment gaps. After searching for nearly 7 months, there is no further information.
Lu Kewei said that in order to expand the passenger flow, the restaurant has thought of many ways.
For example, for small wedding parties and other parties for customers, chefs are sent to cook on the spot to ensure that the ingredients are fresh and the service is attentive.
Sometimes regular customers come over and give discounts.
On birthdays, give customers cakes, in short, hope that there will be repurchase customers.
He said that the law and order in Chinatown is ups and downs, and sometimes customers are unwilling to go out to eat. The car parks outside for fear of smashing the glass, and walking for meals is worried about safety.
Many merchants closed at 4 pm.
The street is quiet.
It is hoped that the police station will send more manpower to patrol to protect the safety of the community and restore the confidence of merchants and customers. As the flow of people increases, restaurants and other small businesses will naturally have more business.
(Liu Xianjin)