Restaurants Worry About Their Future in Coming Months

Restaurant owners in the United States and Britain are worried about the future of their industry. Their reasons for concern include a labor¹ shortage, high food costs and the Omicron version of the new coronavirus.

United States sales, costs rise

In November, the U.S. Census² Bureau said that sales at restaurants and drinking places, or bars, in the United States reached an estimated $73.7 billion. That is an increase of 37 percent over the same month last year. But, the increase was partly the result of higher prices as restaurants try to deal with the cost of inflation.

Many restaurant owners are concerned about the future of the industry in the coming months. Caroline Glover is the owner of the restaurant Annette near Denver, Colorado.

Glover described her feelings as "extremely worried." She added, "I've never felt like we were out of the woods."

Out of the woods is an expression that means out of danger.

Glover worries about renewed restrictions³ if coronavirus infections increase.

For other businesses, the main concern is finding enough workers. In a recent study of 3,000 U.S. restaurant operators, 77 percent said they did not have enough workers. That information comes from the National Restaurant Association, an industry trade group.

Many restaurant workers have started new careers or have gone back to school. Jada Sartor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, said her pay increased from $10 an hour to $16 an hour this year as restaurants tried to employ more workers. But she recently quit her serving job because she could not find child care that she was able to pay for.

"The cost of living is just so high you can't afford to really live," she said.

Kristin Jonna is the owner of the restaurant Vinology in Ann Arbor⁴, Michigan. She said she raised pay nearly 40 percent to get and keep her 35 workers. It was a change that needed to happen in the service industry, she said. But Jonna cannot increase restaurant prices enough to make up for the pay increase.

Food costs in the U.S. have increased, Jonna said, and skilled workers have become costly⁵ too.

"Everyone knows that beef is more expensive, but high-end, highly skilled labor is expensive, too," she said. "That is the very tricky⁶ part of our business right now."

Sara Lund is the owner of Bodega and The Rest, a bar and restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah. She said the cost of materials to make food rose between 15 and 40 percent this year.

United Kingdom

In Britain, the fast spread of the Omicron version of the new coronavirus is also hurting the food industry. Restaurants, hotels, and other eating places report decreases in business at an important time of the year.

Scotland and Wales have promised millions of dollars in aid for their businesses. That has placed pressure on the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to do the same in England.

Patrick Dardis heads a chain of about 220 bars, or pubs, called Young's. Dardis said he hoped officials would come up with a financial aid plan soon. About 30 percent of the chain's planned events were canceled last week.

"There are thousands of businesses — not just pubs — that could collapse⁷ in January if the current situation isn't partnered with proper financial support," he said.

UKHospitality is an industry trade group in Britain. It urged reduced taxes, saying concerns about Omicron have led to the loss of $2.6 billion in sales this month.

Words in This Story

afford – v. to be able to pay for (something)

tricky – adj. difficult to do or deal with

chain – n. a group of businesses (such as stores, restaurants, or hotels) that have the same name and basic appearance and sell the same products or services

proper –adj. right or correct for some purposes or situations

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。