![]() Pillarella said the situation forced him to have his staff work more overtime than they even wanted, and to them pay overtime wages. “I can’t run a business without people,” he said. That summer, he was down 10 H2B workers, and those slots did not get filled. Pillarella said, “”It was probably one of the most difficult summers I faced here at Wianno. Without getting lost in the weeds of H2B law, it’s clear that a lot had changed. Michael Pillarella, Executive Chef at the Wianno Club: “I need to staff my kitchen.”Īnd then, in 2017 with a new President in power, there was a reduction in the number of H2B VISA workers allowed into the country, and new rules making it more difficult to retain staff. They could then reapply to come back and many did, becoming loyal workers for businesses across Cape Cod. There Was Once A Solution From Outside The BorderĪ specific VISA program, H2B, allowed foreign workers into the country to work for a certain number months, before going home. When the college workforce no longer met the needs of restaurants, those businesses turned to foreign workers. But, he said, a longer season means, “you need workforce earlier in the season and you need them to stay later” said Cyr. It is the off-season that is challenging, he said.Īn extension of the season is good for the region’s economy, said Cyr. You are always going to be able to meet your payroll,” said Cyr. July and August are always going to be gangbusters. One of the goals of the Restaurant Promotion Commission is to “build up the off-season. Tourists, who bring with them so much money, needed somewhere to stay and to eat.Īnd over the years, the calendar has extended into the shoulder seasons: spring and fall. State Senator Julian Cyr: “Thirty years ago, Cape Cod was a Memorial Day to Labor Day type of place.”īut as summer rents rose and college kids mostly abandoned dreams of summer on the Cape for other places and opportunities, businesses still needed workers. ![]() “It’s a tough business to be in,” said John Yingling, owner of three restaurants in Provincetown – Spiritus Pizza, Bubalas, and Local 186. “Most of these businesses, if they are not completely seasonal, there is a seasonality to their business and their work,” said Cyr, who is a new member of the Senate Restaurant Promotion Commission. There’s not a lot of younger people looking for jobs. “What’s available in the labor force is a lot of people like me, who are retired,” said Henry. In fact, said Henry, among the things he works on with people looking to get into the business is labor costs and the local demographics. Harry Henry, board president of the Cape Cod Culinary Incubator, which helps prospective business owners in the culinary business, asked, “If you are going to pay people at the rate you paid them three or four years ago, can they still afford to live on the Cape?” ![]() Pillarella said he is paying significantly more for kitchen help in the last three to four years. “It’s particularly acute in the hospitality industry,” he said. “Workforce, or lack of workforce is arguably the biggest challenge employers are facing in the region,” said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro). See the DONATION BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE ** ** Please support independent local journalism. Here is a look at a microcosm of that struggle: kitchen staff on Cape Cod. In this Cape Cod tourism economy, with its extreme peak season, there is a common and enduring struggle for businesses to find or retain staff. Every single day that I wake up, it’s the first thing I think about.” Mac Hay, owner of four restaurants – Mac’s Chatham Fish & Lobster, Mac’s Fish House Provincetown and two restaurants in Wellfleet, Mac’s Shack, and Mac’s On The Pier – said, “It’s my biggest struggle, bar none. “Particularly anyone who is a professional or has some industry experience.” “What we have is a huge demand for a limited supply of cooks and chefs,” said Pillarella. ![]() “It boils down to supply and demand,” said Michael Pillarella, executive chef at the Wianno Club in Osterville. CAPE COD – The cause of one specific problem in many Cape Cod restaurants, a shortage of kitchen help, can be found by the simple process of boiling.
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