Labor shortage prompting restaurants to cancel Christmas Party bookings?

[tvguy]

I'm talking very specifically about what the OP is talking about, what their question is talking about which was events being cancelled at restaurants. Staffing shortages exist. Many restaurants changing themselves to not have dining room and focusing primarily on take out orders is not many now. 2 years ago yes, a year ago eh not as much but in fall of 2022 not the norm industry-wide.

You're assuming a lot out of my comment. The OP was talking about restaurants canceling work Christmas parties that are already booked well in the future due to staffing. What I said is that would not be common to do that here right now. I said they would give that the priority and it would shift the staff they have to give that priority as more money is often made there. Hence why I gave the whole Fogo de Chou figures.

As far as restaurants closed I already mentioned about some of ours have in a prior comment. I've mentioned over time we've had that as well long standing one. BUT again the OP asked the question about restaurants canceling Christmas party bookings. I haven't seen anyone yet they know of a slew of places canceling existing bookings for work Christmas events. I did say I understood about blocking future bookings.

This issue is they don't have the staff to shift. Which is why they are also limiting their dine in capacity.

There is one Sushi restaurant here that frequently shuts down their to go orders altogether. They do dine in only because the owner is the only sushi chef, and he could never fill all the to do orders he gets. And it is not unheard of him to just decide to not do dinner some nights because his lunch business that day overwhelmed it. And some days he just doesn't open at all because he needs a day off. You have to check his Facebook page before you go to see if they are open.

 

[lanejudy]

Many restaurants changing themselves to not have dining room and focusing primarily on take out orders is not many now.

You're assuming a lot out of my comment.

I get it -- it's not a problem IN YOUR AREA. It's not all that often I agree with tvguy but I can fully relate to what he's saying in this thread. It's a problem for some areas -- holiday parties, restaurants dine-in hours, staffing, changes in business model, cancelling or cutting back -- it's all related. Really, just be glad it's not a problem where you live.

 

[tvguy]

Okay we're getting off track here. Were you asking about events/large bookings in general? Because you asked the question about Christmas off-site work parties and mentioned you thought work Christmas parties had basically gone by the waste side already. I def. understand if places do not want bookings in general. That is exactly what I said in my first comment:


So tvguy is your topic work Christmas parties being cancelled in October? Or is your topic wondering if restaurants around people have stopped doing larger groups irrespective of what they are and when they are because it's not sustainable to them?

A canceled Christmas party is what prompted my post, but it really is joined at the hip with restaurants not taking larger bookings.

As for companies not having Christmas parties anymore, that really isn't new. That goes back at least a decade due to costs and liability concerns.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I get it -- it's not a problem IN YOUR AREA. It's not all that often I agree with tvguy but I can fully relate to what he's saying in this thread. It's a problem for some areas -- holiday parties, restaurants dine-in hours, staffing, changes in business model, cancelling or cutting back -- it's all related. Really, just be glad it's not a problem where you live.

In your area do you have many places shifting to to go orders and closing dine-in now in fall of 2022? I know tvguy has mentioned before about dine-in in many fast food places in his area shutting down entirely due to CA rules but many posters did not back that as happening in their area with many saying if it was it was an individual location doing so like a franchised location. In your area are you having places cancel existing bookings for Christmas parties?

We're not disagreeing about staffing shortages so if you think that's what is going on it's not. It's the discussion that the OP brought up.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This issue is they don't have the staff to shift. Which is why they are also limiting their dine in capacity.

Which is why I would understand not doing events/large gatherings...period... as in nothing is bookable now presently nevermind for December.

A canceled Christmas party is what prompted my post, but it really is joined at the hip with restaurants not taking larger bookings.

Ah I see. Yeah if you had led with that my answer would have still been the same that it doesn't appear to be commonplace but my comments would have never focused on wondering why a restaurant canceled a Christmas work party (presumably in December) in October (which is what spawned lanejudy quoting me and the rabbit hole this conversation has become).

My logic was that it would apply to every booking so that was why I said I was confused with the such early canceling and you've confirmed that really what it is is a place deciding they cannot sustain large bookings right now regardless of what they are for and that it's effective now. I bet other people have had their bookings canceled even if it were to occur this weekend.

As for companies not having Christmas parties anymore, that really isn't new. That goes back at least a decade due to costs and liability concerns.

I think this part has already been talked about on the DIS a lot so probably not going to rehash that here. I put that in there because your OP focused on work place Christmas parties and "My last employer ended off site Christmas parties about 6 years ago, so I kind of thought they were less common than they once were" but then you all of a sudden started talking about other stuff in other comments so I was trying to figure out was this a Christmas work party conversation or a general large gathering/event booking conversation. Seems it's the latter

 

[barkley]

just to give an idea of what is happening with staffing shortages in this industry in my area=

as incentives to get and retain staffing to meet demand the employer my oldest works for is offering (in addition to fully employer paid/very low deductible and copay medical, 401k matching, yearly bonuses, generous paid time off) significant hiring bonuses to new staff and $1 per gallon gasoline discounts at their (already the lowest price in the region beating out costco) gas stations for all staff.

i will add-we live in a state where servers receive the same minimum wage as all other trades which is well above the federal at $14.49 an hour but their starting wage is $1 or so higher per hour BEFORE tips (mandatory fee for banquets and parties so it's a given).

they are still starving for staff.

 

[tvguy]

Which is why I would understand not doing events/large gatherings...period... as in nothing is bookable now presently nevermind for December.


Ah I see. Yeah if you had led with that my answer would have still been the same that it doesn't appear to be commonplace but my comments would have never focused on wondering why a restaurant canceled a Christmas work party (presumably in December) in October (which is what spawned lanejudy quoting me and the rabbit hole this conversation has become).

My logic was that it would apply to every booking so that was why I said I was confused with the such early canceling and you've confirmed that really what it is is a place deciding they cannot sustain large bookings right now regardless of what they are for and that it's effective now. I bet other people have had their bookings canceled even if it were to occur this weekend.


I think this part has already been talked about on the DIS a lot so probably not going to rehash that here. I put that in there because your OP focused on work place Christmas parties and "My last employer ended off site Christmas parties about 6 years ago, so I kind of thought they were less common than they once were" but then you all of a sudden started talking about other stuff in other comments so I was trying to figure out was this a Christmas work party conversation or a general large gathering/event booking conversation. Seems it's the latter

Not sure this is a rabbit hole. You just like much narrower borders on the topic than i do. This is a discussion board and who knows where a thread will go.....hence why they are called threads. They weave here and there and everywhere.
Big picture, it's all related.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not sure this is a rabbit hole. You just like much narrower borders on the topic than i do. This is a discussion board and who knows where a thread will go.....hence why they are called threads. They weave here and there and everywhere.
Big picture, it's all related.

I agree but you set up the narrow field and you asked the question in a narrow way. I answered what you asked about it relating to Christmas parties but wondered why this wouldn't also apply to general bookings.

A civic group I belong to was just informed by the restaurant today that our Christmas gathering is being cancel, because they don't have the employees they need to staff it.
And a couple of fellow members of this group say other restaurants are doing the same thing with their off site work Christmas parties.
Is that happening to anyone else?
My last employer ended off site Christmas parties about 6 years ago, so I kind of thought they were less common than they once were. And it is cheaper to bring in food for an onsite Christmas party for just the employees, not their significant others.

Your entire focus of the OP was on Christmas bookings at restaurants and off site work Christmas events. I think we all get about what the definition of a thread. I feel like MillauFr tends to bring that up too Regardless carry on with the thread. I'm out

 

[tvguy]

I agree but you set up the narrow field and you asked the question in a narrow way. I answered what you asked about it relating to Christmas parties but wondered why this wouldn't also apply to general bookings.


Your entire focus of the OP was on Christmas bookings at restaurants and off site work Christmas events. I think we all get about what the definition of a thread. I feel like MillauFr tends to bring that up too Regardless carry on with the thread. I'm out

LOL. I never set borders on my posts. I wouldn't learn anything if I did.

 

[kdonnel]

I find it amazing how many restaurants are still struggling with staffing issues.

Did that many people leave the workforce? Or did that many people move on to non restaurant jobs? Are people less willing to work excessive hours? Is it about pay? If so where are the people working that pays more? Are those places overstaffed? Is there something else? Is it a combination of several reasons?

Sunday I tried to grab a quick sandwich at Jersey Mike's but found they were only open for online orders and then today a local lunch place I went to is now closed on Tuesdays due to staffing issues according to the sign on the door.

 

[LuvOrlando]

How much does this place charge per person for an even? Is it known to be high end or budget friendly?

 

[Smugpugmug]

I find it amazing how many restaurants are still struggling with staffing issues.

Did that many people leave the workforce? Or did that many people move on to non restaurant jobs? Are people less willing to work excessive hours? Is it about pay? If so where are the people working that pays more? Are those places overstaffed? Is there something else? Is it a combination of several reasons?

Sunday I tried to grab a quick sandwich at Jersey Mike's but found they were only open for online orders and then today a local lunch place I went to is now closed on Tuesdays due to staffing issues according to the sign on the door.

I think it's a combination of the reasons you stated along with the fact that many of these employees just........died from Covid. Studies done showed that line cooks and other jobs that involve food (or more specifically hospitality) had the highest chance of catching + dying from Covid. I believe the University of California was the first one to publish a study about it but others have also come to a similar conclusion.

A lot of restaurants in my area have issues with staffing too. Every single restaurant I've been to has a 'Now hiring' sign out front or a sign at the hostess podium saying that service will be slower due to lack of staff.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I find it amazing how many restaurants are still struggling with staffing issues.

Did that many people leave the workforce? Or did that many people move on to non restaurant jobs? Are people less willing to work excessive hours? Is it about pay? If so where are the people working that pays more? Are those places overstaffed? Is there something else? Is it a combination of several reasons?

Sunday I tried to grab a quick sandwich at Jersey Mike's but found they were only open for online orders and then today a local lunch place I went to is now closed on Tuesdays due to staffing issues according to the sign on the door.

I find it confusing also. We were recently in Ohio & craving a burger. We stopped at one restaurant that had a sign on the door that the dining room was closed, due to short staffing. We left & drove about 1/2 a mile to Five Guys. They had more employees than customers. How is Five Guys able to get so many employees, when the other burger place can't even open their dining room? I have my guesses.

Actually, we encountered several situations similar to this on our trip. People were saying they couldn't get enough employees, so they had to close early or shut down on certain days. Then when you spend some time talking to them they say they can't afford to work anyone full time. What they really had was a shortage of people willing to work part time with no benefits. I wouldn't insinuate this is always the case, because I don't know everyone's personal circumstances, but we encountered it several times.

We also heard an owner say they didn't buy a business to be stuck there all day. They were complaining about having to close two days a week, because they couldn't find enough employees to run the business for them. I thought it was odd that he would complain about people not wanting to work, when he admitted he didn't want to work in his own business, but there he was complaining for all to hear.

PS: When you eat at the bar almost nightly for four months, people tend to open up to you & tell you things they probably shouldn't.

 

[tvguy]

How much does this place charge per person for an even? Is it known to be high end or budget friendly?

$25. Kind of middle of the road for here.

 

[barkley]

Did that many people leave the workforce? Or did that many people move on to non restaurant jobs? Are people less willing to work excessive hours? Is it about pay? If so where are the people working that pays more? Are those places overstaffed? Is there something else? Is it a combination of several reasons?

it's been fascinating to watch where we live.

we live near the state border. on our side you were paid 5X the hourly base salary at minimum wage being a server to start with (my state doesn't count tips against minimum) than the adjacent state. with tips that a HUGE difference so the other state has always had greater staffing issues. covid comes along and my state is much more restrictive so some servers bite the bullet and head to the other state to stay employed BUT my state is also much more liberal and generous with unemployment benefits and rental/utility assistance....as a result, despite no longer having covid restrictions for businesses with servers-we have tremendous employee shortages b/c individuals who left the work force have remained out of the workforce. rent moratorium ended quite a while ago but laws were enacted that still prevent or create horrendous obstetricals to evictions so people have literally gone YEARS without paying rent, there are programs that will only help with utilities if you can't pay (withhold) your payments for many months...so many of those individuals who worked in this field have found it much more cost effective (esp. with the shortage/cost of childcare) to not return to work.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

There are many articles on labor shortages that have come out of the pandemic. Many factors go into it: retirees finally pulling the rip cord, people dying, parents that quit to take care of kids and then realized a single income is livable, etc.

I find it confusing also. We were recently in Ohio & craving a burger. We stopped at one restaurant that had a sign on the door that the dining room was closed, due to short staffing. We left & drove about 1/2 a mile to Five Guys. They had more employees than customers. How is Five Guys able to get so many employees, when the other burger place can't even open their dining room? I have my guesses.

Actually, we encountered several situations similar to this on our trip. People were saying they couldn't get enough employees, so they had to close early or shut down on certain days. Then when you spend some time talking to them they say they can't afford to work anyone full time. What they really had was a shortage of people willing to work part time for no benefits. I wouldn't insinuate this is always the case, because I don't know everyone's personal circumstances, but we encountered it several times.

We also heard an owner say they didn't buy a business to be stuck there all day. They were complaining about having to close two days a week, because they couldn't find enough employees to run the business for them. I thought it was odd that he would complain about people not wanting to work, when he admitted he didn't want to work in his own business, but there he was complaining for all to hear.

PS: When you eat at the bar almost nightly for four months, people tend to open up to you & tell you things they probably shouldn't.

I have noticed this as well. It's almost like it's hard to hire adults when you only offer part time jobs with minimal/no benefits and low wages. *pretends to be shocked*

There was an entertaining case study at Cedar Point last year where they couldn't get enough employees. They raised their wages to $20/hour and suddenly had the parked fully staffed. A lot of businesses around there complained because they couldn't compete but that's not Cedar Point's problem.

 

[MillauFr]

I think restaurants are being forced to make a choice based on their capability to provide a service. They don't have the staff to provide the banquet service, and in some cases dine in. Labor costs I suspect outweigh food costs for most restaurants.

The food is the cheapest expense. Labor costs way more. It is the rent where they really get hit. When you are paying $22 for a hamburger, $10 of that is to pay the rent.

 

[LuvOrlando]

$25. Kind of middle of the road for here.

Any chance this could be just a way to dodge a need to upcharge? In the smallish town where we raised our kids people get used to things being a certain sort of way. If a hometown favorite spot increased prices then word would spread & it would be met with such hostility I doubt they'd recover. It's the first thing that popped into my head when I read your post.

If it is, indeed, trouble filling the jobs then all I can think of with that this may be an indirect consequence of the fact that Drs simply refuse to treat pain any more. Most experienced people in these back breaking labor intensive jobs are in pain a whole lot of the time. These people were able to make it through a long shift if they were medicated or could count on a few days with cheap medicine to recover but now that there is no relief, well, who in their right mind would show up for all that hurt. The pain medication used to be inexpensive and people could live with out of pocket but now that saying a thing hurts gets you flagged and the only options offered cost hundreds and thousands, well, it's a whole different game. I suspect there is a substantial shift taking place as people avoid the sorts of jobs that can cause injury, pain or serious discomfort. I bet a poll would show it's not that people don't want to work, the problem is they just won't risk injury for a meager paycheck.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

If it is, indeed, trouble filling the jobs then all I can think of with that this may be an indirect consequence of the fact that Drs simply refuse to treat pain any more. Most experienced people in these back breaking labor intensive jobs are in pain a whole lot of the time. These people were able to make it through a long shift if they were medicated or could count on a few days with cheap medicine to recover but now that there is no relief, well, who in their right mind would show up for all that hurt. The pain medication used to be inexpensive and people could live with out of pocket but now that saying a thing hurts gets you flagged and the only options offered cost hundreds and thousands, well, it's a whole different game. I suspect there is a substantial shift taking place as people avoid the sorts of jobs that can cause injury, pain or serious discomfort. I bet a poll would show it's not that people don't want to work, the problem is they just won't risk injury for a meager paycheck.

Are you talking about prescribing opioids? There is a very good reason that doctors aren't giving those things out easily anymore. So many lives have been ruined by those drugs and a lot of them started out with a prescription for "back pain" or something similar.

 

[tvguy]

Any chance this could be just a way to dodge a need to upcharge? In the smallish town where we raised our kids people get used to things being a certain sort of way. If a hometown favorite spot increased prices then word would spread & it would be met with such hostility I doubt they'd recover. It's the first thing that popped into my head when I read your post.

We meet there every two months, and they were really struggling with staffing issues a month ago at our last gathering there. I guess it could be because they did raise prices twice already this year. Not sure about the other restaurants that have canceled Christmas bookings.
But again on the CBS Evening news tonight they repeated the stat that there are 2 jobs for every applicant, so I can see where that may be the issue. I have never worked on food service but I can see where another job might be a more popular option.