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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, SEpTEmbER 4, 2021
Labor, supply shortages hit Northwest eateries
By JAMIE GOLDBERG
The Oregonian
Burgerville has spent months trying to
navigate pandemic-induced shipping delays,
product shortages and rising food costs
while trying to keep its 40 restaurants open
with minimal disruptions.
But things came to a head last month
when the Vancouver, Washington, based
fast food chain learned one of its main dis-
tributors didn’t have the staff to package or
deliver a big shipment. Burgerville sent its
own workers with trucks to fill with fries,
but even collecting those boxes took hours.
Ultimately, managers realized Burgerville
wouldn’t have enough burgers, fries and
other menu items to serve all its customers.
The extraordinary shortage prompted
Burgerville to temporarily shut down five
restaurants — one in Tigard and two each in
Portland and Vancouver. Four of the restau-
rants reopened after about five days. The
company has cut two operating hours a day
at all of its locations.
The company also temporarily closed a
separate location in southeast Portland ear-
lier this month for what it described as unre-
lated concerns about crime nearby.
“We’re seeing disruptions on everything
on our menu,” said Kati Reardon, Burger-
ville’s chief operating officer. “You might
have enough of a food product, but you don’t
have the packaging to go with it or you have
the packaging but you’re getting delays in
your fry delivery. What’s really challenging
is just how week-to-week you don’t know
where the disruptions are going to be.”
Supply-chain disruptions and prod-
uct shortages have challenged businesses
throughout the pandemic — from local
bikes shops in Portland struggling to keep
up with unprecedented demand to computer
chip shortages forcing Toyota to slash global
production.
Pandemic-related closures, heightened
demand and complications with importing
products from abroad have contributed to
the shortages. In addition, labor shortages
have hit not only local retailers, restaurants
and hotels but also the manufacturing facil-
ities, warehouses and delivery companies
that local businesses rely on to source their
products.
That is presenting yet another hurdle for
restaurants and other local businesses that
have already struggled to navigate pandemic
shutdowns and restrictions over the last year
and a half.
Greg Astley, director of government
affairs at the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging
Association, said the vast majority of restau-
rant owners are navigating some sort of sup-
ply-chain issue or labor shortage. He said the
Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian
Burgerville has cut two operating hours a day at all of its locations.
tight market has led to skyrocketing prices
for meat and other products, forcing some
restaurants to rethink their menus either tem-
porarily or permanently.
“Once again, restaurants are having to
be very innovative and creative when they
are creating their menus or when they’re fig-
uring out how to run their business,” Ast-
ley said. “It’s really the uncertainty that cre-
ates the most anxiety for operators, whether
it’s about the pandemic restrictions or about
whether they are going to get the product
they need to serve their customers.”
Sysco, the largest wholesale food distrib-
utor in North America, has had to turn away
customers in parts of the country where labor
shortages have led to demand exceeding
capacity, Bloomberg reported.
Heather Hobson, an account manager
at WCP Solutions, a wholesale provider of
food supplies and other items, said she has
never seen shortages impacting such a wide
variety of products in her 25 years in the
business.
Widespread pandemic-related shutdowns
depleted stockpiles and delayed production
last year, and their effects still linger. But
now, with rebounding consumer demand
and a shortage of workers, manufacturers are
consistently struggling to keep up. Hobson
said she works with a national disposable
bag manufacturer whose California plant has
less than a third of its usual staff.
Claire Randall, the CEO of Grand Cen-
tral Bakery, which has 11 stores and two
wholesale bakeries in the Portland and Seat-
tle areas, said the company had to look for
a new supplier that met its ethical standards
when it had trouble getting pork earlier this
year and has had to change its menu when
other ingredients haven’t been available.
“We have a little bit of a more limited
menu, but it’s reliable, and we know we have
the ingredients to make those menu items,”
Randall said.
The company has resorted to selling cold
beverages in paper coffee cups and switched
to unbranded paper bags because of a short-
age of to-go containers.
While Grand Central has managed to
pivot amid supply-chain issues, the com-
pany has been harder hit by the ongoing staff
shortages.
Randall said every one of its departments
is understaffed by at least one or two posi-
tions, which has been hard on employees.
She said every bakery will close for at least
a few days in September to give employees
a break and managers time to train new staff.
“It’s an important message for everyone
that we’re not going to operate beyond what
we can reasonably do,” Randall said. “I’ve
let the department managers make decisions
about what’s reasonable, how can we oper-
ate safely and how can we take care of our
employees during this tough time. I would
rather lose some sales right now in order to
build future resilience.”
Staffing shortages are impacting compa-
nies throughout the food industry. Insider
reported Tuesday that a McDonald’s in Med-
ford is trying to fill the gap by advertising
jobs to 14- and 15-year-olds.
Burgerville has been able to navigate
staffing shortages because it is mostly oper-
ating as a drive-thru. Reardon said the com-
pany would need to hire about 25% more
staff than it has now to fully reopen its din-
ing rooms.
But the supply issues continue. Reardon
said Burgerville may have to tweak its menu,
or even consider temporarily shutting down
some locations again.
“We want our guests to know that we’re
doing everything we possibly can to meet
their needs, but sometimes it won’t be in the
way we could 18 months ago,” Reardon said.
THANK YOU, seaside!
Hood To Coast / Portland To Coast Relays would like to thank the City of
Seaside, Seaside Fire and Rescue, Seaside Police Department, and Seaside
Chamber of Commerce for hosting the 39th HTC/PTC Relays Finish Party.
Your beautiful city and county were on display this year for participants from
all 50 U.S States. We would also like to thank Clatsop County public safety,
residents, and businesses for your patience and support. $19,000 will again
be donated to Seaside Parks and Recreation.
With more than 60,000 individuals visiting Seaside for The Hood and Portland
To Coast Relays, this visit represents a first impression to a captive audience
that very often leads to future visits for these individuals and their families.
This is an economic impact that goes beyond measure and one that can very
often be a lifelong development of future memories in your town. Thank you
Mayor Jay Barber and Chamber Executive Director Brian Owen for helping
make an amazing impression!
Participants raised over $600,000, which benefits the Providence Cancer
Institute. Since 2013, participants have raised over $5 million to help
#FINISHCANCER.
Thank you Seaside for supporting the race for 31 years in your community!
We look forward to many more fantastic race finishes in Seaside. Special
thanks to all the amazing charities on course; runners and walkers loved
everything you provided. We look forward to seeing you all in 2022!