Villagers are blaming everyone from President Biden to cheapskates who won’t tip for a restaurant staffing shortage plaguing The Villages.
“The restaurants that do remain open with fewer servers and employees are being chastised by some Villagers for ‘poor service.’ Their claims of waiting 20 minutes for service as they watch servers just ‘standing around’ sounds almost preposterous, yet it’s been said,” said Michael Scotto of the Village of Chatham.
He said this is a crucial time to support local restaurants and to be more generous when tipping.
Have you seen an impact on your favorite restaurants due to the labor shortage? Share your thoughts at news@villages-news.com
“Most of us are retired so we have all time in the world. Waiting a few minutes more for food and drink shouldn’t be a problem unless we are those who complain about everything. Unfortunately, we have those people living here as well,” he said.
Jerry Baden of the Village of Calumet Grove is pointing the finger of blame at the White House.
“It is not just a Florida problem. It’s everywhere, thanks to our current administration, Mr. Biden and company, trying to make sure people depend on the government for their livelihood,” Baden said.
Village of Sabal Chase resident Dorothy Cormier said it’s a shame that somewhere along the way, Americans decided it was acceptable to pay substandard wages to food industry workers.
“Perhaps if the restaurants paid a living wage, rather than complaining about Florida’s lowest in the country unemployment rates, potential employees would be willing to risk COVID to serve their customers,” she said.
Villager Robert Martin shared a photo of a sign posted at the door of one of his favorite restaurants.
“We’ve seen this all over Central Florida,” Martin said.
