Benefits or bottleneck? US restaurants struggle to hire workers

Restaurant owners are struggling to keep up with renewed demand as Americans who are vaccinated against the coronavirus go out to eat — but a $300 federal top-up to state unemployment benefits has made it more lucrative to stay home for some hospitality industry workers.

Eva Johannesdottir has gone through six kitchen workers since reopening her restaurant The Cliff last May. Each time, she invested time and money to train them, but they were unable to keep up with the demands of serving busy brunches and take-out orders at the small cafe in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States. “The biggest challenge with staying in business right now is to find help,” Johannesdottir told Al Jazeera. “One of the main reasons why I cannot have the business open more than three days a week right now is because I just can’t find workers.” Her problem is not unique. As capacity limits on restaurants are lifted and Americans indulge their pent-up desire to dine out, many establishments have “help wanted” signs gathering dust in their windows.