Up To Date

Kansas City Restaurants Share In Industry Wide Staffing Shortages

By Steve Kraske,

Published May 11, 2021 at 4:15 PM CDT

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Chefs at work in a restaurant kitchen. — Many former restaurant workers are not interested in returning to the industry post-pandemic.

As pandemic restrictions are lifted restaurants are ready to cook and diners are ready to eat, but staff are not flocking back to greet guests and wait tables.

The problem is that without enough employees restaurants aren’t able to scale up production to meet the pent-up demand they're experiencing. Pre-pandemic industry conditions are causing workers to look for jobs elsewhere as "they're understanding the value of a livable wage," says Jenny Vergara.

Liz Cook, freelance food reporter for The Pitch
Jenny Vergara, contributing editor for Feast Magazine

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Up To Date Podcast restaurants local food food minimum wage service workers

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Mackenzie Martin

As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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Zach Wilson

As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.

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