Even though Texas Governor Greg Abbott has allowed restaurants to reopen to full capacity, several across the state are still operating at reduced capacity.
The reasons have little to do with health or safety protocols.
Instead, restaurants are having trouble finding enough workers to fully staff their establishments.
As a result, some have had to reduce their capacities so that the staff can properly handle the workload.
While extended unemployment benefits is a factor, there are other factors contributing to the worker shortage.
"Because of the pandemic, some of the restaurants had to lay off some staff," says David Waddell, executive director of the Texas Restaurant Association south region; "and those staff, instead of coming back, decided to seek other employment just to stay afloat, and they haven't returned."
Another factor is certain people who are unable to leave their homes.
"A high percentage of workers that are in restaurants are women who have had to stay home and take care of the kids," says Waddell. "With the pandemic and not all schools being open, they've had to remain home."
All that is leaving restaurants to try to come up with some creative ways to recruit new workers.
"One of the things we're doing right now is trying to find incentives or work with membership to see if they can create some incentives for people to stay," Waddell says.
One restaurant manager's incentive plan, however, wasn't as successful as hoped.
"(The manager said,) 'If you stay on the job for four months without being absent or whatever, I'll write you a check for $800,'" says Waddell. "He only had to write one check."
While most restaurants can't afford to offer bonuses, they're doing so in an attempt to retain their employees.
"Our restaurants work on such a very slim margin, it's almost hard to give out bonuses," Waddell says. "But they are doing that, just to try to keep folks in."
