As hotels and restaurants rebound from COVID, big events like the High School Rodeo Final and the Garth Brooks concert are and will bring thousands to the capital city.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The good news…
Having all of these great visitors come to the capital city brings in millions of dollars.
The big question?
Do we have the workforce to adequately get the job done and take care of all of these customers?
“Right now, it’s hard to find more workers just due to the pandemic,” said Muhammad Al-Shamkhani, a manager at Sultan’s Kite in downtown Lincoln.
As hotels and restaurants rebound from COVID, big events like the High School Rodeo Final and the Garth Brooks concert are and will bring thousands to the capital city.
How is this different than any other year? Most hotels and small businesses are short-staffed.
“Everyone got their stimulus checks so I don’t think a lot of people want to work right now,” said Al-Shamkhani. “But once school starts back up I think we’ll get more customers and more people that want a job again.”
“One of our restaurants, you know, just closed down the entire fourth of July weekend so that their staff could have a life,” said Zoe Olson, executive director of Nebraska Restaurant Association. “We recognize how hard our staff are working.”
Olson says some restaurants will limit hours and capacity to make sure they give good service.
If you try to book a hotel for the Garth Brooks concert, we checked online. Rooms that are left in Lincoln are going for $400 to $900 a night and Olson has hotel associates who say services could be limited.
“In the hotels, your rooms are not going to have housekeeping,” said Olson. “You know if you’re there for like a week. You may not have housekeeping except maybe the, you know it’ll be clean and wonderful when you get there, but they’re not going to come in and do service for you because we just don’t have staff.”
Smaller businesses are preparing for the influx of people for the brooks concert like it’s a Husker football game.
Muhammad says they will double their food orders but are trying to hire more help.
“You know, having more workers will definitely help out a lot to relieve stress on other workers that have been working more hours, he said. “We’re currently hiring right now. We’re looking for more people to train. I feel like we’ll be prepared, though. It’ll be fun, a little challenge.”
Olsen adds another tip, as downtown Lincoln will be busier, eat earlier, make reservations now, and don’t be afraid to try businesses on the outskirts of downtown Lincoln.
###[ad_2]
Originally Appeared Here