Restaurants struggle to navigate omicron variant, persistent pandemic issues
Ya Halla on Alexis Rd. closed its dining room in March 2020 and has yet to reopen it.
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - New year, same issues.
Restaurants are continuing to struggle with persistent pandemic-related problems, from supply chain issues and high overhead to a shortage of staffing. Now, the omicron variant is throwing a another wrench in the machine.
The owners of Ya Halla on Alexis Rd. closed the dining room in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic. By January 2022, they have yet to reopen it.
“We want to move forward. We want to open back dine-in. I want to see my customers inside, obviously, but with everything that’s going on now, it’s scary. It’s risky to open back up with the new variant,” says owner Maha Abdo.
One major issue, she explains, is finding staff.
“No dine-in was allowed, and then after we were allowed to open dine-in, we couldn’t find any workers,” says Abdo. “It’s the cook in the back, and me up front. That’s it. So, we need workers to the back, workers to the front, until we can open dine-in.”
Staffing continues to be an issue facing restaurants across the Buckeye State, according to John Barker, President and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association.
“In our industry, when we get back to full strength, we need 585,000 people just in the restaurant space, which makes us the second biggest industry in the State of Ohio that’s not the government,” said Barker.
Abdo says she hopes to reopen the dining room in the spring. Until then, Ya Halla will remain carryout and delivery only.
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