PERRY, Ga. — The City of Perry is cooking up a restaurant job fair to help business fill their job openings due to labor shortages in businesses across Central Georgia.
The orders are still coming fast, but lining up workers is going slow.
"We've been struggling lately trying to find some staff, getting some staffing," Schultze's owner Eric Schultz said regarding the shortage.
At Schultze's, you may see Eric Schultz doing it all.
"On Friday and Saturday nights, you might see me or my wife down here scooping ice cream or talking to customers, mainly being the head dishwasher," he said.
Over at The Perfect Pear, Megan Brent says she's just shy of being fully-staffed, which could change the way she does business.
"As the business owner, I'm working on rearranging the structure of my business because it has changed so much due to COVID. Just things that are a little more profitable. We are considering next year going to counter service just because of the lack of help, and we just want to be smart but more importantly profitable," the business owner explained.
Both restaurants have a need in common.
"We're looking for front end servers and were looking for cooks," Schultz said.
The City of Perry has a plan to get more applicants through the doors -- they're hosting a career fair with competitive wages.
"You have to be competitive with what you offer, and if you're not competitive or don't have a good working environment, it's going to be harder to find jobs," Schultz said.
Both owners are hoping they find someone who sticks.
"Occasionally, what happens is you think you found the person, and something just happens, they don't show up for the interview. They show up for the interview, you think it went great, and they don't show up for work," Brent explained.
For Schultz and Brent, they're ready to try their luck.
The City of Perry says restaurants will offer wages up to $17 per hour. The job fair happens next Wednesday at the Perry Events Center from 2- 4 p.m.