Hawaii restaurants struggle to find staff as visitor arrivals soar

Visitors are returning to the state in larger numbers, leaving Hawaii restaurants scrambling to fill vacant positions.

Restaurants like Shorefyre in Waikiki said that finding good reliable help hasn’t been easy.
Sheryl Matsuoka, of the Hawaii Restaurant Association, said one of the main problems is that when some restaurant workers were let go during the pandemic many were forced to find other jobs.

As the tourism industry rebounds, restaurant owners said the supply of food service workers appears to be very low.

“We need to get people off unemployment,” said Allen Farinas, owner of Shore Fyre.
“Create a situation where they get incentivized if they hold a job for two months or three months, they can get a bonus, a little kicker and maybe that goes on instead of unemployment kickers because there are tons of jobs open right now.”

Matsuoka said one of the best ways to connect job seekers with potential employers is by e-mailing the Hawaii Restaurant Association at [email protected].

​https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/06/03/restaurants-say-there-still-struggling-to-find-staff-to-meet-increased-visitor-demand/