Restaurants Struggling to Find Employees is Nationwide Trend
Across the country, restauranteurs are struggling to find employees. Last week, the National Federation of Independent Business surveyed more than 500 small businesses and reported that 42% of them had job openings they couldn’t fill – the latest trend following the enhanced, long-term unemployment benefits included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. As of April 6, some 7.4 million jobs were open at the end of February, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions, the rising difficulty of finding workers has left entrepreneurs picking up more responsibilities, leaving them overworked.
Giselle Deiaco, owner of Avena Ristorante in downtown Manhattan and Avena Ristorante in the Upper East Side, told FOX Business that prior to the pandemic, she would have hundreds of applications to sort through for one position.
“A lot of people have left or they get unemployment checks,” she said. “Some get more than what they need. It’s been like that for a few months already.”
At her Upper East Side location, Deiaco only has 11 employees on payroll, while her downtown location is functioning on 10 employees. As the warmer weather rolls in, the lack of employees will make it difficult to serve customers quickly.
Dino Ferraro, owner of Capone’s Italian Cucina and Black Trumpet Bistro in Orange County, California, shared similar frustrations and has said that many of his former employees have not returned. He has resorted to placing hiring ads to fill positions.
“When we place the ad…we get one-fifth of the response compared (to) before,” he said.
According to Ferraro, only one out of 10 individuals show up after scheduling an interview. Due to the staffing shortage, Ferraro has had to cut the lunch service at Black Trumpet Bistro and has a limited lunch menu at Capone’s Italian Cucina.
The National Restaurant Association’s most recent survey found that 1 in 4 restaurant operators listed recruitment as their top concern, ranking it higher than Covid.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
MLB Continues to Receive Backlash from Small Businesses in Georgia
Georgia businesses are continuing to speak out against Major League Baseball’s (MLB) decision to move the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, following a voting law that was signed by Governor Brian Kemp.
Business owners and state leaders deemed the decision to move the game a detrimental blow to small businesses across the city.
Tudy Rodney of Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food, based in Atlanta, told FOX 5 Atlanta’s, “Good Day Atlanta,” that the move by the MLB was “crushing.”
“We’re trying to build back from a pandemic that happened last year, and something like this is not good for business,” he said. “Rodney’s will suffer.”
Job Creators Network CEO, Alfredo Ortiz, told “Fox and Friends” that the MLB’s move “absolutely” leaves a pit in his stomach.
He also said that the projected cost on the state of pulling the All-Star Game from Atlanta was “upwards of $100 million.”
“A lot of these were minority-owned businesses that were really looking forward [to] and desperately needed this kind of revenue in-stream,” Ortiz said. “And all because, quite frankly, there was a misinterpretation or misunderstanding or, quite frankly, just an outright lie of the law that was passed here in Georgia on voting rights.”
Each year, the host of the MLB All-Star Game reaps significant rewards as tourists and fans flock to the selected city. In 2019, Cleveland collected $65 million from the event, while Washington, D.C. made $68 million hosting the 2018 All-Star Game.
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
NASA Announces 45 Million for Small Business Entrepreneurs
NASA has announced that it will invest more than $45 million in 365 proposals from American small businesses. The agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies.
“These small businesses and research institutions represent the latest wave of innovators working to develop their game-changing concepts for potential infusion in a NASA mission and, ideally, eventual commercialization,” NASA SBIR/STTR program executive Jason L. Kessler told FOX Business via email. “We’re proud to partner with a diverse group of innovators and expand the reach of NASA across the country.”
In an official press release, NASA reiterated that small businesses are crucial to their mission and said that 289 small businesses and 47 research institutions were granted Phase I funding in 2021 — with most being first-time recipients.
“At NASA, we recognize that small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “This year, to get funds into the hands of small businesses sooner, we accelerated the release of the 2021 SBIR/STTR Phase I solicitation by two months. We hope the expedited funding helps provide a near-term boost for future success.”
As a result of the pandemic, NASA moved up the solicitation period to expedite funding, with the goal of providing critical support for entrepreneurs.
“It is our sincere hope that the proposals selected for award develop into products that not only help NASA achieve its ambitious goals but go on to serve as the foundation for businesses that provide jobs and livelihoods throughout the country,” Kessler said.
The selected small businesses come from 38 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Recipients include the woman-owned and Connecticut-based Symatec Inc., which will develop radiation tolerant, high-voltage, high-power diodes.
Innoveering LLC, a Hispanic American-owned small business based in Ronkonkoma, New York, was also selected to develop a wind sensor to support a flight path control system for high-altitude scientific balloon missions.
“We are excited to have a large cohort of new small businesses join the NASA family via the SBIR/STTR program,” Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), said in the press release.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
