With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosening restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals, diners are feeling the itch to return to on-premises dining. 

This announcement is a dramatic change from the spring 2020 lockdown that shuttered thousands of dining establishments, which meant many people found themselves out of work overnight. From March to April of 2020, restaurants suffered job losses totaling nearly 6 million.

Changes in safety guidelines are driving customers to dine inside their favorite restaurants once again. According to a survey conducted by OpenTable, 50% of diners said they intend to frequent a full-service restaurant in 2021 at least once a week. The restaurant industry is now scrambling to ramp up its on-premises experience and is facing a major obstacle—staffing.

Hiring Shortages

Many restaurant employees who lost their jobs during lockdown were forced to find employment in alternative industries and aren’t eager to return. With so many restaurants looking to hire, the candidate pool is drier than ever. 

Menufy Sales Manager Ashley Day and other associates speak regularly with partner restaurants, many of whom are experiencing staffing shortages firsthand. “We are hearing that owners are having to work in-store themselves, shut down early, shut down certain days, shut down altogether. Some are selling their stores,” explained Day.

Restaurants that are feeling the stress of employee shortages do not need to panic. We have compiled creative solutions to help our partners until staffing shortages stabilize. “As a former restaurant manager, these are things I think would be helpful for restaurants to implement or try,” suggests Day. 

Staffing Solutions

1. Communicate to Customers 

Change your store's phone line to go directly to a greeting with a message advising customers of the situation. We suggest including instructions directing diners to your online ordering website to place an order. This strategy will free up employees who would otherwise be stuck handling time-consuming phone orders. 

Engage with customers via digital and print marketing to advise them of how best to support your business. Day suggests including print materials in your to-go orders detailing how to order directly from your website.

Additionally, a to-go pamphlet could even contain a customer call-to-action for assistance spreading the word about position opportunities and openings.

2. QR Codes 

Restaurants that are struggling with server shortages should also consider utilizing online ordering Quick Response (QR) codes. Using a unique image code, diners can view the menu on their own device while seated on your dining floor. Customers can place their order, indicating the table number, and pay without the assistance of a server.

Once the order is placed, a ticket with the table number will be generated indicating a dine-in order. This lets the kitchen know to plate the food rather than box it up for carryout.

“The expo, food runner, or any staff in-house can then deliver the food to the table,” explains Day. Implementing this system will allow in-house staff to focus on other tasks, especially during times when the restaurant is short-staffed. 

Through the Menufy Manager Dashboard, restaurants can access a custom QR code that directs diners to their Menufy website, where customers can place orders.

For our point-of-sale (POS) integrated restaurants, QR codes are the most accurate menu option, as online ordering is synced with your POS. Any back-of-house edits to menu items or pricing appear instantly on the customer-facing menu.

3. Cost Review

To retain current employees or attract new hires, some restaurant operators are allocating additional funding for employee salaries and benefits. To save profit margins, consider reviewing current menu costs. It might make sense to temporarily limit your menu options or eliminate high-cost items. 

Restaurants should also review statements from vendors to see where costs can be minimized. For example, consider switching to Menufy as your online ordering partner. Use our Competitor Fee Calculator to see how much money you can still save compared to costlier alternatives.

Hang in there

Hiring and retaining quality employees in the restaurant industry is not a new concern. However, this dry period seems especially hard for many owners and managers. On the upside, the industry added 187,000 workers in April, a number that is expected to grow next month. 

As more and more individuals become vaccinated, we can hope that more seasoned servers will feel comfortable returning to their former roles, especially as the lucrative summer season approaches. By implementing some of the suggested strategies, owners and managers dealing with staffing struggles can find relief until labor shortages ease.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Dimmitt, Marketing Communications Coordinator

Melissa began her digital marketing career nearly a decade ago at a restaurant group. She worked with restaurant managers and executive chefs while coordinating seasonal menu releases, executing photoshoots, and creating fresh digital content.