Some Hudson Valley businesses are struggling to keep employees, despite recent unexpected job growth this summer.
Harry's Burritos is one of many restaurants on Nyack's main drag with staffing issuessobad that they have to change hours, change menus and even just shut down sometimes.
Longtime employee Stella Ororio saysone sick call can do them in for the whole day.
Several restaurant managers say the problem is still the same.They hire people, train them and welcome them to the team. Then those employees end up leaving a few days later.
Ororio says, they've had about 12 employees who left in that fashion over the last year."We're always hiring people. We need someone for the counter. We need help with service too," she says.
Just down the street at Kavos Grill, owner Eleni Karampimperas says they have managed to keep a full staff of 15.
She says good pay, good hours and incentives are important in this climate."Such as free meals, free drinks, whatever they want. We treat them nice. We treat them like family," she says.
Server Kaitlyn Smahaj says she's stayed working there for two years because it fits her schedule and she saves money on food with those limitless free meals.Assembling a team like that is difficult - News 12 dropped in on 12 eateries and Kavos is one of three that said they are fully staffed.
Owners of some of the short-staffed restaurants say they're about to have another setback when their summer employees leave town for college.