Restaurants and bars need 200,000 more staff to deliver the service Aussies have come to expect

Prepare for long waits for coffee, smaller menus or even more closures as restaurants, bars and cafes reveal they urgently need an army of staff to fill the gaps.

Staff shortages could see restaurants, bars and cafes closing their doors for almost half the week, offering limited menus and taking 25 per cent longer to serve customers this summer.

The warning comes as the hospitality industry calls for 200,000 more staff Australia-wide to help it rebuild from the pandemic lockdowns.

“The hospitality industry in Australia is worth $71.3bn, and right now it is time to call in the reinforcements because if we are any chance of seeing hospitality soar this summer we need support,” Jeffrey Williams, chief executive of hospitality industry jobs platform Barcats Australia, said.

STAFF SHOCKERS: QLD RESTAURANTS TO CLOSE IN 2022

He estimates Brisbane has 1000 vacancies for bar staff, 500 for wait staff and 1000 for kitchen staff. The city also needs 400 managers, 1500 baristas and 1200 hotel housekeepers.

“We need 200,000 new workers, which is three times the size of the entire Australian Defence Force,” Mr Williams said.

“The reality is, if we don’t get workers back, customers will suffer. Customers face a 25 per

cent increase in wait times, reservation unavailability, increased costs, limited menus and opening hours and a decline in service quality.

Customers face longer wait times at their favourite restaurants during the worker shortages.

“It has been a long and challenging few years for this sector and we are desperate to see pubs and clubs, bars and restaurants, cafes and hotels thriving again.”

Mr Williams appealed to students just finishing year 12, university students and retirees to step up to fill the gap.

“This is an industry that hires across a variety of ages – from university students, to retirees, and some of the 180,000 graduating year 12 students across the nation, we need you to sign up and be part of this hospitality army,” Mr Williams said.

Despite mounting public support since Covid restrictions eased, most Queensland hotels, cafes and restaurants have been working on reduced hours recently due to staff shortages, according to chief executive of the Queensland Hotels Association chief executive Bernie Hogan.

“The industry right across the world is struggling for staff at present time, it’s not just Queensland,” Mr Hogan said.

“It’s probably the most acute it’s been in quite some time.”

While Mr Hogan said the return of international workers would make an “enormous difference” to the state’s staff levels, there’s also been a strong focus on bringing in more local workers.

“We’re not going to suddenly create more workers overnight,” he said.

To encourage more workers into the industry, recruiters are looking at non-traditional cohorts, including those who might not have worked in the industry before.

Restaurant manager Mikaela D’Arienzo at Mina Italian, Bulimba. Picture Lachie Millard

Duty manager at Mina Italian in Bulimba, Mikeala D’Arienzo, said the eatery had particularly struggled to find experienced staff or “people really willing to learn”.

“It’s definitely been tricky, you don’t just have people walking into the cafe with their resume looking for a job these days,” she said.

Ms D’Arienzo said Covid has played a major role in staff shortages as it has forced cafes to shut their doors and changed the way people think about work.

“A lot of mature aged people aren’t looking to work in the industry anymore because there’s just so many options with working remotely. It’s a hands-on industry, and I just don’t think there’s a lot of people who want a career in hospitality anymore,” she said.

With a number of venues in the industry now forced to shut Mondays and Tuesdays, Ms D’Arienzo said it’s become a “frustrating” time for current hospitality workers.

“I hope it starts to go back to normal, but the hospitality industry is very up in the air at the moment after Covid,” she said.

“A lot of people are just scraping by. From a patrons perspective, they just have to be as supportive of hospitality as they can.”