The November numbers followed 4.2 million total quits in October and surpassed September’s previous record of 4.4 million.Ī couple of months ago, the Trojan Horse lacked kitchen staff. One million of those worked in leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants. The total number of non-farm workers who quit or changed jobs hit a record high in November at 4.5 million according to numbers released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. workers resigned at abnormally high rates. The trend has been dubbed the Great Resignation, and restaurants have been affected at some of the highest rates of any industry. He thinks it might be related to federal COVID-19 stimulus payments allowing people to save more money during the pandemic, or an unwillingness to work after a year of staying at home.īusinesses across the country are also experiencing hiring shortages, while workers simultaneously quit their jobs in record numbers. Posthuma said his friends in the Bloomington restaurant community are all facing the same issues. “Considering the fact that we pay people better to start than almost every restaurant in theĬity, I’ve been baffled by that, I’m not going to lie,” he said. If he has enough energy on Sunday, his only day off, he’ll teach classes on billiards or African drums, both of which he’s played since he was a kid. He subscribes to multiple streaming services, but never uses them. Tea and a couple more cigarettes, and does it all over again. All these responsibilities add up to his de facto title of “the owner’s right hand.”Īfter his 12- or 13-hour shifts, Posthuma has just enough energy to sit on his porch, drink aĬouple beers, smoke a couple cigarettes and go to bed. He slips between roles, acting as a server, dish washer, line cook, manager, bartender or whatever job is required to keep the Trojan Horse running. The Greek appetizer, called Saganaki, is Fontinella cheese lit on fire and served with pita. 3, 2021, at the Trojan Horse restaurant in Bloomington. The restaurant is decorated with old IU paraphernalia, as well as humorous signage.Ī tray of food appears Dec. 3, 2021, in the downstairs section of the Trojan Horse restaurant in Bloomington. Remain are dealing with smaller crowds, supply chain problems and hiring shortages.Ī fish tank appears Dec. Pourhouse Cafe, Grazie Italiano and Laughing Planet are among the casualties. Not all Bloomington restaurants have survived the tumult of the pandemic. “When the world ended,” Posthuma said, “it flipped everything upside down.”Ī couple blocks from the Trojan Horse, a paper sign hangs in the window of Potbelly Sandwichĭue to staffing challenges, we have temporarily limited operating hours. Seven days a week turned to five and weekday closing time shifted from 11 p.m. Bartenders and floor managers became a thing of the past. Last spring, a full kitchen staff dwindled to zero, leaving Posthuma and the owner to take over the cooking. Posthuma works 12- to 13-hour shifts at the restaurant, helping out in whatever role needs to be filled. 3, 2021, through the window of the Trojan Horse restaurant. Not only have profits dropped since the start of the pandemic, the Trojan Horse has also faced a severe staffing shortage. It’s been that way for months, as the restaurant grapples with the fallout from COVID-19. Business is slow, but his to-do list is infinite. He hurries back to the ringing phone.Īt 1:30 p.m., Posthuma is six hours into his Wednesday shift as the restaurant manager at the Trojan Horse. He refills ice baths to chill tubs of chopped veggies that don’t fit in the Trojan Horse’s fridge. He negotiates a work schedule with a new employee. Posthuma scrubs plates and pots and runs them through the commercial dishwasher. Within five minutes, a stack of gyrosĪnd pitas sit on the restaurant’s front counter, ready for pick up. He calls out the order to the line cook manning the grill. “Thanks for calling Trojan Horse, what can we get for you?” Justin Posthuma dashes across the narrow kitchen to pick up. How the Trojan Horse is surviving the Great Resignation
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |