TOLEDO, Ohio — A new poll from the Ohio Restaurant Association found 56% of Ohio's restaurant operators reported a drop in sales in August, and a whopping 87% of respondents say they're struggling with staffing shortages.
It's affecting local businesses here in Toledo as well, such as the Happy Rose Buffet on Airport Highway. The eatery has shut down until further notice due to staffing shortages and rising prices, announced by a sign on the front door warning potential guests of the news.
The reasons behind the restaurant's closure are becoming all too common.
"They're having a hard time right now. And sales are up, but profitability is not really there," Ohio Restaurant Association President and CEO Joe Baker said.
91% of Ohio restaurants reported to the ORA saying that labor costs are rising, and the National Restaurant Association says a whopping 65% of all restaurants across the country don't have enough employees to meet customer demand.
Even local restaurants that remain open, like downtown Toledo's Packo's at the Park, say they're only limping along.
"It's getting to a point where we're having multiple call-offs a day, and also I had to shut down the restaurant yesterday because I had no one to work, it was just me," Alisha Castillo, Packo's at the Park's assistant manager, said.
Castillo says on Monday she had to close the restaurant at 4 p.m.; a full 5 hours before closing time.
Castillo says in recent months, it's been a struggle to keep both front and back of the house employees, with people often quitting suddenly or not showing up at all. It's a problem they've been facing since the beginning of the year, even running short-staffed during baseball season.
"That's so unusual because normally people want to work downtown for the environment and things like that, but not so much this year," said Castillo.
Even restaurants not currently struggling are still concerned.
Ye Old Durty Bird manager Julie Ketterman says while they haven't been directly affected by these issues, she can see Toledo's normally strong restaurant workforce is losing steam, and she doesn't know why.
"It's very concerning, it's sad. You're just driving down the street and seeing a lot of local businesses, even local franchises changing their hours and it's happening all over," Ketterman said.
Also according to that Ohio Restaurant Association poll, 81% of Ohio restaurants say they have positions that are difficult to fill. Until that stat drops dramatically, we can expect no end in sight for these staffing issues.