PHOTO | TROY HULL

Sharon and Clifton Freshwater, owner of Freshwaters restaurant, struggle to find proper staffing during the pandemic. They also have to deal with shortages of menu items. “We can’t get the crab like we used to,” Sharon Freshwater said. “Also, it’s a shortage on the greens … you have to go all over to find some good collard greens.”

Two months ago, Sharon Freshwater, co-owner of Freshwaters in Uptown, notified her staff the dining room would be reopening for business.

Only one person showed up for work.

Labor shortages is only one of multiple problems that have plagued restaurants now that they are able to open at full capacity. Freshwater is trying to fill all the roles left vacant while pulling double duty since she works in the front office and cleans up at closing.

“I can’t stay open late because of the staffing situation,” she said. “By the time I’m here from 10 in the morning to 8 [p.m.], I’m drained and I’m so tired and burnt out.”

Freshwaters is not the only restaurant to be suffering from a lack of staffing. According to the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, the leisure and hospitality sector made up 20% of job losses during the pandemic. Workers who became unemployed during the pandemic chose to stay unemployed because it paid better than hourly wages. The federal minimum wage is $7.50 an hour.

North Carolina pays a maximum of $350 per week in unemployment benefits. Also, the federal government is providing an additional $300 on top of the unemployment insurance benefits provided by the state. The federal program ends on Sept. 4.

Restaurants across Charlotte are learning to adjust to new challenges brought on by the pandemic. One of the most pressing is the food shortage that has caused prices to spike.

“We can’t get the crab like we want to,” Freshwater said. “Also, it’s a shortage on the greens… you have to go all over to find some good collard greens.”

Freshwaters isn’t the only restaurant to encounter roadblocks regarding food supply. Cuzzo’s Cuisine ran into a similar issue. Co-owner Anglee Brown said that the price for wings has increased, and they now order from three different food suppliers to ensure that they always have access to necessary ingredients.

“It was challenging in the beginning because we had to get used to it,” Brown said. “We just had to adapt to what was going on and just make it work for us.”

Both restaurants have gotten creative in order to account for the shortages. Cuzzo’s instituted a 22% service charge to help balance out the increase in wages for staff as well as the food cost. In addition, Freshwaters wants to add a fee to all takeout orders to counteract money lost due to the closed bar and any hesitancy from customers to eat in the dining room.

While business for both restaurants has been increasing steadily, Freshwater predicts hers will not fully recover from the pandemic for at least another year.

Brown is looking forward to the future and hope to reopen Cuzzo’s dining room by September.

“God is on our side,” she said.

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