Here's One Place the 'Help Wanted' Sign is Still Out

As reported in an earlier post for this blog, the City of Columbia is assisting the local real estate community in the search for a new family-style restaurant in the Admiral Trost Development.

A feature article in today's edition of the Belleville New-Democrat quoting Terry Johnson of Johnson Properties--one of the investors who helped bring the local Hampton Inn to reality--gives some insight on part of the reason why the search may be so difficult:

...restaurants are a tough business; their survival depends on good management, which is difficult to find because there are few people willing to work nights and weekends.

"Most restaurant chains could probably grow at a faster rate if they could find good managers that wanted to live that lifestyle," Johnson said. "That's what a lot of the chains are facing. It's not a question of finding good locations, but a question of finding good talent."

People spending less money on dining out because of the recession is only part of the equation. Let's hope that some individuals with the appropriate skills and the willingness to work nights and weekends come to the fore--Columbia needs them.