Owner: Lack of willing workers forced closure of Fairfield’s Blue Cactus Grill
Victor Amereno says a brutal labor market is to blame and he believes some potential workers would rather collect unemployment.
News 12 Staff
•
Jul 13, 2021, 11:45 PM
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Updated 1,017 days ago
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3ds agoA Connecticut restaurant owner says a lack of
willing workers has led to some difficult choices for his businesses.
Victor Amereno told News 12 that he
was spread too thin and couldn’t find workers for his Blue Cactus Grill. He has
no choice but to close his Fairfield location. The restaurant in Norwalk will
stay open.
“We literally had to shut the
door on a thriving small mom-and pop
business,” says Amereno. “The Fairfield location was open 2 1/2 years.”
He tells News 12 a brutal labor
market is to blame, and he
believes some potential workers would rather collect unemployment.
“I spoke to everybody who would
listen…begging for help,” he said. He was willing to hire anyone, regardless of
their past – but he says he couldn’t find the help he needed.
“Every time I went into a grocery store, I would talk to the cashier…'Hey, do you know anybody looking for
a job?' I would go to a gas station and say, 'Hey we are hiring,'” says Amereno.
Across the state, the demand for
workers is spiking in a number of industries. The Department
of Labor says help wanted ads on its site were up 61% in June.
Hospitality postings climbed 24% in the week before July 4.
