Twin Falls ID Staff Shortage Brought Out The Ugly In Many Locals
A recent trip to a Twin Falls' restaurant during the dinner hour ended up being an effective gauge in just how impatient people can be when they are told they have to wait to be seated. The reasons for these widespread staff shortages are not the fault of these businesses' management and staff, but instead something that is completely out of our hands.
This past Saturday (July 31) my family and I went to the Twin Falls' Chili's for a bite to eat before seeing a movie at the Magic Valley Cinema 13. We were told that there would be a 30 to 40-minute wait, which was fine with us. I try to never eat out if I'm in a hurry to be somewhere.
Having worked as a waiter and bartender for many years, I understand the fresh hell that is served up when restaurants try to operate understaffed, and it's way more stressful for the staff than for those of us with hungry bellies. I've always carried with me from my restaurant experience the philosophy that if a person isn't willing to wait for a table from time to time, then they shouldn't bother going to restaurants at all.
As we sat on a booth waiting for our table, I must have witnessed two dozen people walk through the front entrance, be told about the wait, and then berate the young hostess for relaying said information. The young staffer was very professional and courteous about informing people of the shortage--they only had two waiters on at the time--and yet she got an earful from just about everyone not willing to wait a half an hour for food.
"We are never coming here again," said one man standing next to his wife.
"I see plenty of open tables," said a woman with her daughter. "Why aren't you able to seat us?" she carried on.
"You people need to hire more help. This is ridiculous," said another.
The majority of these customers stormed out the front door afterward. Let's try to keep something in mind next time we go out for a sit down meal in town. The Coronavirus caused these shortages, and it's no fault of the management and staff that some businesses haven't rebounded completely yet.
We should cut these workers some slack. Being told to wait 30-minutes to be sat isn't the end of world. There is always DoorDash.
Our service was great by the way, and I highly recommend you see "Jungle Cruise" at the Magic Valley Cinema 13; it's a really fun flick!