Hartford Business Journal

36 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 21, 2022 December as opposed to hosting in-person celebrations that will be more prevalent in 2022. Salute, which also has a Rocky Hill location, is already getting large bookings for holiday lunches and dinners this December, he said. Before the pandemic, Salute could host at least a dozen holiday parties a day. "We're definitely seeing an upswing in people having parties here in the restaurant," Cosgrove said. "We've been really busy — we've got as much as we can handle." Staffing crunch Cosgrove said that workforce issues have affected his business, Salute restaurant on Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford has seen a rebound in corporate business. HBJ FILE PHOTO like so many other restaurants. That will present greater challenges during the busy holiday season. "The quality of help that you have just isn't the same that it was four years ago," Cosgrove said. "The tran- sient workers that you get sometimes last like two weeks." Competition for workers is so intense that people will leave to get paid $1 per hour more down the road, he said. "You lose people because they go to the next place, which is willing to pay more because they need the help," Cosgrove said. "I've had other restaurant owners ask me to not hire their help." Cardinale said Peppercorn's doesn't have employment issues right now, and jobs are sometimes in demand due to the unfortu- nate closure of other restaurants. Anderson said it's more challenging than it's ever been when it comes to hiring and retaining employees, but his restaurants are currently fully staffed. "We're fortunate in that we have a lot of people that have worked for us for a long time," Anderson said. "We have a very solid core group of people. … Without (them), we can't do anything. Added Cosgrove: "The core group I have has really gotten me through the last couple years — they can get me through anything."

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