Portland restaurants face staffing challenges ahead of the summer season

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Job growth in the restaurant industry has been choppy going into this summer.

[00:00:04]That's according to a recent study done by the National Restaurant Association.

[00:00:09]And several restaurants in the Portland area are reporting similar staffing challenges. Owners of the Ugly Duckling and Chaval in Portland say they've recently had employees who have left because of being unable to keep up with the cost of living in the area or find affordable housing nearby. Staff with Hospitality Maine say the challenges come at a time when many restaurants in the state are already struggling to keep up with the busy summer season.

[00:00:34]>> The whole operation um it's just gotten more complicated.

[00:00:38]And it's you know, it's harder to get them where they need to be. Can they afford to live there? How do you put them up?

[00:00:45]>> So like that has been really hard. Like people being like, "Hey, I cannot afford gas."

[00:00:49]And just to drive like a Ford. Like we have people that they'd rather do just like a few shifts a week but have really long shifts so it's worth the traveling here, the drive here.

[00:00:58]And then we also have people that they just can't afford just moving here.

[00:01:02]>> Staff with Hospitality Maine say it could be difficult for some business owners to attract employees this summer depending on how much traffic we get from tourists.