Hot Tamale to close for Mondays and Tuesdays because of lack of skilled staff

The Territory’s hospitality industry is experiencing a brutal skills shortage, forcing at least one prominent venue in Darwin to close for two days a week.

A CRITICAL shortage of skilled workers in the hospitality industry has forced one of Darwin’s best known venues to close shop for two days of the week.

Hot Tamale, located on the Darwin Waterfront, will close on Mondays and Tuesdays because its owner can’t find enough front-of-house duty managers and other skilled positions.

The decision will cost the business $1000 a day.

Hospitality NT said the entire industry was seeing an exodus of staff back to New South Wales as that state’s hospitality sector begins to re-emerge from lockdown.

Hot Tamale owner David Robinson said the shortage wasn’t being caused by unskilled workers, but rather by more complex roles involved in training and management.

“It’s those top end skills – the restaurant managers, to head chefs, the duty managers,” Mr Robinson said.

He said it was the first time Hot Tamale had been forced to close on Mondays and Tuesdays due to a staffing shortage.

Hot Tamale owner David Robinson has to close 2 days a week due to staff shortages. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“This is the worst we’ve ever had,” he said.

“We don’t have enough management so we can’t train staff up quickly enough for them to gain the skills necessary.”

Mr Robinson said the fixed costs of his business, such as renting the premises, cost $1000 a day and the closure on two days of the week would hurt his bottom line more.

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said the shortage of staff was being experienced across the industry, and across all sectors of the Territory’s economy.

Mr Bruce however warned the availability of skilled workers needed to improve before next year’s dry season.

Staff at Hot Tamale, Storm Chiverton (L) and Katie Hammond. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“We’re seeing Covid refugees being recalled to Sydney, and soon they’ll be recalled back to Melbourne as well,” he said.

“We’re seeing hospitality across the country opening back up so that there isn’t a surplus of especially skilled workers in our industry.”

This year’s dry season was derailed by major Covid-19 outbreaks in the Territory’s two biggest domestic tourism markets: Sydney and Melbourne.

Leading into the Dry, Hospitality NT predicted tourism and hospitality businesses would need 7000 workers to fill job vacancies.

Originally published as Hot Tamale to close for Mondays and Tuesdays because of lack of skilled staff