‘We are severely understaffed’: Some Grand Strand restaurants cutting hours to let employees rest

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Some Grand Strand eateries are cutting their hours in order to give their overworked employees a break.

Management at Roca Roja Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in Cherry Grove, announced March 28 the restaurant would be closed on Mondays for the next few weeks.

“Unfortunately like many other businesses we are severely understaffed at this time and doing all we can especially in our kitchen,” the March 28 post on Roca Roja’s Facebook page stated. “In order to give staff the rest they need so bad and continue giving you the best service we can we had to make a difficult decision: Roca Roja Cantina will be closed on Mondays for the next few weeks.”

The post ended with managers asking for any cooks looking for “competitive pay and caring ownership” to contact Roca Roja’s managers or stop by the restaurant.

Management at the newly-opened Tavern in Surfside announced they too would be giving their team a “well-deserved day to rest.”

Tavern in Surfside owners announced Monday on their Facebook page they would be closed on Tuesday, April 6.

“Our staff has been working incredibly hard since our opening. Due to the labor shortage in the Grand Strand area, they have been enduring long hours alongside the stress of opening a new restaurant, all without giving it a second thought,” the post stated. “Our Tavern family is always our first priority, so we have decided to close for the day to give our team a very well-deserved day to rest.”

Employers across the Grand Strand are continuing to endure a tough job market, with openings all over but many of them going unfilled.

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Politicians like Congressman Tom Rice are trying to fix the problem. The Horry County representative is co-sponsoring a bill that would incentivize people to work by giving them a bonus of $1,200 if they get off unemployment and take a full-time job, and $600 if they get a part-time job.