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Chicago restaurant industry struggles with staffing shortage
Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, breaks down some of the issues the local restaurant industry has been facing in wake of the pandemic and recent worker shortages.
CHICAGO - A Chicago pizza place fueled a firestorm on social media with complaints that there were not enough workers to open.
Coalfire Chicago, which has locations in West Town and Lake View, tweeted on Sunday: "We are closed today. I simply do not have enough people to open. In nearly 15 years of selling pizza, this has never happened. I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes anyone. I look forward to being back open on Tuesday. Thank you for your support."
A lot of commenters wanted to know how much Coalfire Chicago paid. The person handling the twitter account responded: "My cooks average $18-$21 hour, plus paid days off. I also pay overtime. I have a BCBS health/dental plan available. My employees may eat/drink anything they want on any given day. I cover sick days, you name it, I probably do it."
Chicago's minimum wage is $15/hour. Working full-time at $18/hour would earn you $720/week before taxes.
One commenter noted that Amazon is paying more: "You’re competing against Amazon offering $22.50 an hour plus a $3K signing bonus," they wrote.
Another simply said: "Pay your workers more?"
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Lake Zurich staple Fritzl's closes its doors for good
A Lake Zurich restaurant that's been a mainstay for 36 years has closed its doors for good.