How the worker shortage has affected a local restaurant and what it means for you
It could be the end of the road for JK Crossroads.
"We're looking at closing the doors because we just don't have enough bodies to cover the hours that we're open," said owner Tom O'Brien, who added that the recent shortage of available workers meant that the popular family-friendly pub-style restaurant in East Templeton would have to limit its menu and shorten its hours until the situation improved.
“We’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and we don’t do lunch on Wednesday and Thursday" he explained.”
Specifically, O’Brien said he is in immediate need of a line cook or two in order to keep the establishment open. He added that out of nearly 40 people who had recently submitted an application for employment, apparently none had actually been serious about wanting the job.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, if people are just on unemployment and have to show that they’ve contacted a business, but I’ve had 37 people either not show up for the interview or show up for the interview, agree to take the job, and then not show up for the job,” he said, adding that he first began noticing staffing issues at the onset of the pandemic. “I don’t know if (potential employees) were getting so much money from the government that they could just stay home, but I have no idea what they’re doing now that those checks are no longer coming in.”
More: Changes to local job market finds employers finding new ways to attract workers
O'Brien said he could not remember a time when finding employees was so difficult.
“We used to just put an ad out and four or five people would come in, and we would hire the best ones, and 90 percent of the time we’d get people with previous experience,” he said. “Now, the very few people that do come in don't have any experience.”
Restaurant to reduce hours, limit menu options
In addition to removing items from the menu, O’Brien said the restaurant would likely create ‘theme nights,’ such as barbecue or Italian food, to lessen the burden on his remaining staff, which currently consists of 11 employees, including his daughter and granddaughter.
“We don’t want people waiting an hour for their food, so we will try to cut those wait times down by getting rid of some of the more complicated menu items,” he said. “And we’ll inform customers that until such a time that we can find staff, we’re going to decrease the menu so that we can serve them the way that we want to.”
Applications are still being accepted
O’Brien said he is hoping to attract some potential employees who are serious about taking a job at the restaurant. Anyone interested in working at the restaurant should call O'Brien at 978-632-7070.
“This makes me sad beyond belief because we are a 12-year-old mom-and-pop business that offers solid food at reasonable prices, and we’re a family,” O’Brien said, adding that he was grateful for his base of customers who have remained loyal to the establishment over the past few years. “I’d say that about 75 percent of our clientele are in here at least once a week. The community has been really helpful.”
JK Crossroads opened in 2011, in the location that previously housed Olsen’s Restaurant, a family-owned eatery that operated for decades. The new restaurant’s name was chosen because of is location at the intersection of North Main Street, South Main Street, and Routes 101 and 2A.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: JK Crossroads Restaurant East Templeton Employee shortage reduced hours
