THE race for hospitality staff has become a "Hunger Games" for local restaurateurs, who are pitting themselves against a tough labour market in order to open up for lunch and dinner sittings.
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The COVID-19 restrictions have eased but the hospitality rebound has been hampered by a shortage of workers available in the sector.
Bendigo Tourism Board chair Finn Vedelsby said his Chancery Lane venue, The Dispensary Bar and Diner, was forgoing revenue because there were not enough staff to cover all of the shifts.
"There's no button to press to fix everything right now,'' he said.
Co-owner of Ms Batterhams, Rhianwen Seiter, said she had struggled to put together a full kitchen team since opening in 2020.
She spoke on the eve of the Regional Gin Gala on Saturday, about the tenuous nature of keeping enough staff in the kitchen.
"We now have a full team for the first time ever. That's four qualified chefs, one cook, two apprentices and a kitchen hand,'' she said.
"We thought there would be more people exiting out of Melbourne to the region, but it hasn't provided that (workforce shift) and you can't always rely on being able to hire in.
"We have decided to grow our own talent by putting more apprentices on. Usually we would only have one but now we have two and are interested in having a third one come join us."
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Australian Hotels Association, Bendigo-based spokesman, Ray Sharawara said all levels of government needed to help the industry get back to its former productivity, including by offering training and financial incentives to people who were willing to learn cookery and join the industry.
"We need to fast track the training system. In the recent past we have not encouraged enough people into cooking training and we have relied on overseas people,'' he said.
Mr Sharawara said about 100,000 chefs on migrant visas had returned to their home nations during the pandemic period and were unable to return due to boarder restrictions.
He said Bendigo residents could expect to see intermittent opening times at their favourite eateries into the future, as many venues experienced the same staff shortages as The Dispensary.
Mr Vedelsby said the Dispensary was committed to developing local talent as well and had four apprentices on staff. He has remained optimistic the region will be able to draw hospitality workers from Melbourne to the region.
"It's like the Hunger Games out there for restaurateurs. It's particularly difficult to find skilled labour in rural and regional areas but my colleagues in Melbourne say it's just as brutal,'' he said.
"For us to be looking at Melbourne for staff we have to be able to offer very special incentives. But there are some great reasons to come here. If you are a great waiter in the city you could be a manager in the country. There's opportunity to take that step up."
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