Richmond restaurants face crisis

Today, Abigail Spanberger  praised The American Rescue Plan claiming it “provides support to restaurants.”

But in reality, it’s paying Americans to not work, and restaurants are suffering.

The Richmond-Times Dispatch described the labor shortage as a “crisis.” Here’s what local restaurant owners are saying:  

“Folks are really struggling to get staff on board,” said Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association. It’s “the biggest challenge for operators right now.”

Terry remarks that extended unemployment benefits are part of the problem.

“We aren’t open back to our pre-COVID hours anywhere and can’t seem to staff enough to even be open seven days a week at some of them,” said Michelle Williams, co-owner of the Richmond Restaurant Group.

“Almost every day last week, we had to stop our reservations and stop walk-ins because we don’t have the bodies to accommodate the demand,” said Bobby Kruger, who co-owns the Brambly Park restaurant.

NRCC Comment: “Abigail Spanberger and the Democrats’ socialist agenda isn’t supporting local restaurants, it’s hurting them.” –NRCC Spokeswoman Camille Gallo