Cutthroat on the Cape: Restaurants vie for shrunken pool of employees

It’s going to be sizzling on Cape Cod this summer, and it won’t be just because of the weather.

Some restaurant owners who relied on students from other countries for staff are out of luck this year because the coronavirus has limited travel, while some jobless Americans who worked in Cape restaurants in the past are trying to wait out the pandemic with a boost in their unemployment checks.

All of that has led to competition for workers, and one Cape inn in particular has infuriated some restaurants by going to their establishments and leaving their servers recruiting cards promising bonuses that smaller restaurants can’t afford.

“I have no problem with people working two jobs, but don’t come to my restaurant with cards like this and attempt to lure my employees away,” said Jeffrey Gomes, co-owner of Brax Landing in Harwich Port. “It’s our place that’s invested the time and resources to train them. And the restaurants around here all help each other. It’s not cutthroat around here.”

Gomes said two of his servers came to him with cards they’d been given that read, “I’m impressed! Join our team at Chatham Bars Inn. $250 starting bonus, $250 end-of-season bonus,” with a phone number to call for an interview.

“I think it’s an absolutely classless move, and I think the repercussions are going to be more than they expect,” said Ed Kelley, owner of Sundancer’s Cape Cod in West Dennis. “I think people have no respect for Chatham Bars Inn. They’re one of the biggest businesses on Cape Cod, and they’re going into smaller places and trying to take their employees. There’s a help-wanted sign on almost every business on the Cape.”

This year, Sundancer’s will be closed one day a week during the summer — typically their busiest season — solely because of a lack of help, Kelly said.

In a phone message, Simon Rodrigues, the Chatham Bars Inn’s director of sales and marketing, said: “As we all know, many Cape Cod residents have more than one job, especially during the summer. And as part of our recruiting effort, we encourage anyone in the local area to apply with us for a second job to boost their income.”

“It has come to our attention that the message on our recruiting cards may have been misconstructed (sic),” he continued. “At the end of the day, we’re thankful to be part of the vibrant hospitality industry on Cape Cod, and we’ll continue to support the local community and fellow businesses, as we have in the past.”

Rodrigues did not return phone calls asking whether the inn plans to continue to hand out recruiting cards at other restaurants.

“It’s terrible. It’s piracy,” said Gerry Manning of Captain Parker’s Pub in West Yarmouth. “It is America, and people can work where they want. But I think somebody came up with this idea and didn’t think it through and how it would affect other businesses.”

“We can’t compete with that,” said Janet “Blanche” McInerney of Longfellow’s Pub in South Yarmouth. “We’re having a hard enough time trying to get help ourselves. We just reopened. We don’t have buckets of money to throw at them. We just want to treat our employees well and hope they stay loyal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3xFyOvk