North Yorkshire hospitality sector facing staff shortages
We've been hearing from a restaurant in Richmond, who are contemplating closing for part of the week because of it
Some hospitality businesses in North Yorkshire say they're facing a recruitment crisis, as they look to bounce back out of lockdown.
The pandemic has seen staff such as chefs and waiters leaving the profession, and retraining elsewhere.
Now, businesses are competing to recruit the same reduced pool of kitchen and waiting staff.
As a result, one restaurant in Richmond is considering closing on a Monday and Tuesday.
Tom Park, who owns Rustique Restaurant, told us: "We're very very reluctant to do that. It's something that we've never had to do in the past, and we've tried to avoid it at all costs.
"When it comes to the crunch, as it has done in some cases at some times, it's the best thing to do for the employees and for the successful running of the business going forwards.
"We're busier than we normally would be and in addition to that, we're lower staffed than we ever have been. We've been desperately trying to recruit, in some cases successful, others not so.
"Everyone's fighting for each other's chefs. Everybody's doing what they have to do to stay open and operate.
"Our industry was completely closed for a long long time, so people either remained on furlough, or found another job elsewhere, and probably thought that was better suited for them."