Restaurants cut back menu items due to staff shortage

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE)- As restaurants start welcoming more people into their dining halls, some are realizing they don’t have enough staff for the high demand.

FS Food Group in Charlotte sent a message to each of its properties explaining why they plan to cut back on menu items offered at their locations.

FOX 46 spoke with marketing director Remi Thurston of Mama Ricotta’s to get their response to the change. Thurston said, “We’ve taken things off the menu before, obviously in the years we’ve been open, and got some negative feedback, but people will try something else and love it.”

He went on to explain servers and other vital employees in the food and beverage industry are taking their talents elsewhere, for money and safety reasons.

“Food and beverage has always been a volatile industry. So, I think some of them went to construction, went back to school… I’ve heard a lot of different stories about experiences.”

FS Food Group will start rolling back items next week at select locations and then make their way down the list of restaurants.

Right now, Thurston said they are offering incentives to get more employees through the door.

“We’re offering cash incentives to people who refer their friends. So upper-level management if you refer someone to us, that’s $2,000 on your paycheck.” He added, “If you’ve got a friend who wants to be a server, you can get $300. If you want, you can split it with them, you don’t have to.”

Thurston said they’re hiring for mostly all positions throughout the FS Food Group company.

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