WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Another local restaurant is facing labor shortages. The owner of Tap & Vine in Wallingford said they’ll be forced to close this Sunday if they can’t fill their vacant positions in the kitchen.
“When COVID hit, we did takeout for a while and then closed for a few weeks and then reopened so a lot of our staff scattered and since then we’ve not been able to hire enough cooks at any given time,” Hector Samuel, owner of Tap and Vine, said.
They’re hoping to hire one chef and at least one line chef this week to get by.
Samuel said it normally takes four cooks to run the kitchen efficiently, but after this weekend, they’ll only have one.
“We just can’t survive with one,” Samuel said. “The odds of our success are not in our favor and we understand that but we’re hoping against hope that it works out.”
Samuel told FOX61 if they can’t fill the positions, the restaurant of more than 5 years will be forced to close this Sunday.
“I love this restaurant, it’s been my life’s work. I hate to lose it under these circumstances, but we’ve had a good run here and we met some great people," Samuel said. "I have an incredible staff that have stuck with me through all of this craziness and so it’s disappointing for them—for me to know that they’re potentially going to lose their jobs as well."
Samuel said those looking for work can call restaurant at (203) 774-0660, apply in person or on Indeed.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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