Washington is now wide open. But Tri-Cities restaurants are cutting hours or closing

Even as Washington’s restrictions are lifted and restaurants and bars can fully open, many Tri-Cities restaurants still are limiting customers — but not for the reasons you think.

“I can’t seem to find anyone. There are no résumés coming in,” said Michael Miller, owner of two Tri-Cities restaurants.

Miller, the owner of Proof Gastropub, says he’s advertising that he’ll pay line cooks a $500 signing bonus if they stay three months and he still didn’t get a single applicant.

That means he’s had to cut hours and days that he’s open.

“The business is coming in for sure. People in Tri-Cities are ready to come out,” he said. “But I don’t want to burn out the people who I do have.”

Ideally, he’d like to keep the Pasco location that is geared toward the 21 and older crowd open late. The Pasco restaurant he opened just last year features arcade games, two private karaoke rooms and a cocktail bar.

He told the Herald that he’d really prefer it to be open until 1 or 2 a.m. on weekends. But both the Kennewick and Pasco restaurants wrap up service at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on the weekends because of his limited staffing.

Miller isn’t certain what the problem is — he says he pays a decent living wage and is paying his employees more than he ever has.

Hi, Dumplings a food truck in Kennewick that serves Japanese and Korean dishes announced they were closing for the summer at the end of June.

Owner Bohao Huang couldn’t be immediately reached, but she posted on the eatery’s Facebook page that except for catering, the truck normally parked in front of Bella’s Furniture on Clearwater Avenue will be closed until September or October because they were short-handed.

A drive down the Kennewick corridor of Highway 395 reveals large signs in front of fast-food restaurants seeking employees to hire on the spot as well as advertising jobs starting at $14.25 an hour — over Washington’s minimum wage of $13.69

While the hospitality industry appears to be having the most difficult time securing help — employers across the board are trying to hire workers.

Auto parts stores, warehouses, dairy farm and retail jobs all can be found with a quick search online.

Lamb West had a hiring event in Connell.

“We are interviewing ANYONE, no matter your background/skillset/experience or lack there of!” said one of their advertisements.

But it appears that the shortage may not be because of a lack of workers, but because some employees don’t want to return to work in the hospitality industry.

Franklin County’s employment rate in May was 5.8% percent and Benton County’s was even better at 5.1%.

“People left the industry and maybe saw the ups and downs of what could happen and decided not return,” Miller speculated, adding that he’s advertised in several different outlets with no success.

Competing for entry level workers

Getting workers back on the payroll has been a significant problem throughout the spring as businesses expanded services as counties advanced through the pandemic reopening phases.

Anthony Anton, president of the Washington Hospitality Association, has attributed the shortage to a number of things like lack of child care and other industries such as the grocery stores competing for the entry-level jobs.

He is confident that the industry is resilient and will continue to recover, but it could take time.

“Nothing makes you as sharp as going through a crisis, and a lot of (owners) will carry lessons forward,” Anton said during a news conference this week.

He believes that some things that may be here to stay will continue to help the industry — particularly increased third-party delivery, as well as alcohol to-go.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law that extended the temporary allowance of takeout and delivery alcohol until summer 2023. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board and made the allowance last year along with other adjustments to help the food and beverage industry during shut downs.

Beyond that, Anton said that workers in the industry will have to eventually return because of the larger expectations diners have for environment and the vibe beyond just good food.

He previously told the Herald that he believes there will be an influx of returning workers once unemployment benefits have been exhausted.

“Demand for hospitality is high,” Anton said. “People really value experience and their time. They make a calculation of making a meal and cleaning up a meal with the cost of a meal — past generations didn’t do that.”