Shortages – Please Be Patient

Heading into the weekend I wanted to touch on something that seems to be the elephant in the room lately.  Shortages in the food service industry. There is so much to write about here, but my intention is to just briefly discuss it and serve as a reminder to treat others with respect, kindness, and patience. And then let’s get on with enjoying the weekend!!

Supply Chain Disruptions

Restaurants all over the country are experiencing shortages in many ways – and the excellent establishments we have here in The Villages® are no exception.  Some may be experiencing shortages from distributors on random products due to the supply chain disruption that the restaurant industry is currently facing nationwide.  Please note when looking for your favorite dishes that some menu items may not be currently available – this can change daily. This is no fault of your server, or the manager.

Short-Staffed?

We have also been hearing a LOT that so many places are “short-staffed”.  This struggle is real.  Our servers, hosts/hostesses, kitchen staff, and bartenders are working hard to provide us with top-notch service.  However, with this shortage, they are experiencing delays at times.  If you see empty tables and the hostess tells you it’s a 20-minute wait, PLEASE be understanding that there is a reason and show some compassion, patience, and grace.  It might be that the kitchen is backed up, or not enough servers are on-shift to cover every table, or it could be a computer outage.  Trust me when I say that the restaurant managers, owners, staff…all want to serve you to the best of their ability and sometimes that means leaving tables vacant so you can enjoy your meal in a timely manner.

Not What You Expect – No Judgment Zone

There are several reasons for the service industry getting hit so hard with today’s shortages, many that are beneath the surface of what you might expect.  It’s not all about people being lazy and not wanting to go back to work and that’s a subject for another day. We are here to support our restaurants and service staff, not to judge what we may not know.  So again, please make sure to treat the staff that does show up who are working hard to serve you, with respect and compassion.  We have many fantastic restaurants here in our community and they all deserve our understanding during these crazy times.

Now…let the weekend begin and ENJOY!  CHEERS!!