The nationwide staffing shortage continues to be in the headlines because it’s affected every industry, from law firms to global tech companies, healthcare facilities, education, and everything in between. Being an employee-owned restaurant that offers medical insurance, sane work schedules, a kind, calm management team, supportive co-workers, inclusive decision-making, a piece of the profits, and healthy wages everyone seems to feel good about, we naively felt we could weather the staff shortage crisis.
That wishful thinking (more about that later) turned into genuinely sad feelings about those who left our underground lair. About a year ago, we began our “callbacks” to the 141 employees furloughed way back in 2020. One by one, as business increased, cooks, servers, hosts, bartenders, and others came back into our fold. The exuberance of being back together has been one of the highlights of this past year, but we’re also sad to have lost many of our colleagues who left to pursue other dreams. Jess, our AGM, and her family moved to Colorado for a new start that let them follow their rock-climbing passions. Sarah, our Event Coordinator, and her husband now operate a thriving real estate business. Kris, our HR Manager, now handles HR for one of Minnesota’s largest breweries, and one of our young prep cooks now fixes boilers for an envious 6-figure salary. The list goes on and on, and while we’re of course happy for their new careers, we’re still sad to have lost members of our restaurant family.
That sadness turned into gratefulness, though, as we were writing this post and realized that those who did come back are more excited and committed than ever to staying in the hospitality industry. We’re back because we get a huge satisfaction from providing good service. We’re back because there’s an exhilaration to having survived another ball-busting weekend, slinging damn good food for over 1,200 people. We’re back because the look in our guests’ eyes when they see our Bloody Mary Bar tells us how delighted they are to put their worries away and just enjoy the present moment. We’re back because we genuinely love to cook. We’re back because it’s fun when kids leave us the sweetest little notes, when downtown workers discover our fast-as-lightning Cafeteria options up at the street level, and when guests say, “Thanks! Glad the hotel told us about this great place.” We especially love it when you leave us splendid online reviews.
This industry is in our blood, and for those of us who came back, it’s not just a job; it’s a combination of things that bring us energy and satisfaction and reward and purpose, and we’re eternally grateful for being a part of it. So if you know anyone with our same sense of spirit, send ‘em our way and let us introduce them to the joys of Hell. See? Our sadness didn’t last even long enough to write this week’s Anniversary story. Now can we nudge you into sharing this post and helping us find another good cook or three?
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