Some companies have to close their doors because they cannot find staff to stay open
Some companies have to close their doors because they cannot find staff to stay openAuthor: Hannah MakepeacePublished 9 hours ago
Last updated 9 hours ago
Hospitality experts warn that the industry is in a recruitment crisis that couldn’t have come at the worst possible time.
It is estimated that there are thousands of jobs across the region, with repeated bans being held responsible for employees leaving the sector.
It’s because companies are facing an “extraordinary” surge in demand this summer.
Riccardo Provenzano, owner of The Bank Bar and Grill in Blackpool, said: “There are some places that have unfortunately closed because they have not been able to reopen due to a lack of staff.
“Some people (business owners) who have staff not returned to work or just failed to find new staff take three or four jobs at the bar, run to the kitchen, cook food, serve food, work done by three people, but they are only one.
“It kind of reminds me of the old glory days of Blackpool because it absolutely jumps, there are people everywhere and sometimes it feels like the hospitality industry just can’t quite meet the demands.
“From the moment we reopened, it was just some kind of gangbuster. I’d say it’s a good problem, but it’s still about working 14/15 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Fortunately, a lot of my core teams have returned after the vacation, but because people are so in demand to go out and eat after being locked in the house for so long, we find it a bit difficult to get extra support from staff, so we are constantly leading Interviews and testing people all the time.
“Because we’ve been so busy, we’ve become pretty much a book-only venue. On a normal day, we’re usually pretty much booked by around 4pm.”
