image00013.jpeg
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ky. — Across the nation, restaurants are having a difficult time finding consistent staffing. It's even causing some local favorites to close. On Wednesday, a local restaurant opened up about its struggles with hiring — and how it almost led them to close their doors.

image00006.jpeg

Marshall's on a fully packed night. It's because of busy nights the owners had to search for additional staffing. 

According to the National Restaurant Association, even though the industry is projected to employ around 16 million workers in 2025 — adding 200,000 jobs over the past year — staffing remains a persistent challenge.

There have been several restaurant closures in our area this year. In Paducah alone, Cheddar's and Five Guys on Hinkleville Road as well as KFC on Lone Oak Road have all announced their closures. The specifics behind those closures are unclear.

image00014.jpeg

On Wednesday, Marshall's shared what they experienced while trying to hire more help. 

On Wednesday, the founder of Marshall's shared what his restaurant experienced while trying to hire more help. It was a chill afternoon at Marshall's, but most nights it's packed. Co-owner Marshall Grammer said he opened the restaurant for the community.

"Definitely wanted something to bring back to the community, a place for people to go to, to eat, drink, watch a game, hang out with live music, play cornhole, you name it. Just wanted to supply something to the community," he said.

The family-owned business has poured around $140,000 into remodeling the restaurant. When it opened in January, the only thing needed was consistent help.

"Harder than I thought it was going to be. We had a few that had worked here before that showed up that wanted to be back in here, in this environment. They loved it, and then a few new ones, and then the turnover, and then we've had so many no-call no-shows that I've never seen so many in my life," said his mom, Michelle Bolen.

new food.jpeg

"The night before last, the night before I put the post out, we were having a family discussion that we just, we couldn't do it without more employees," she said.

Bolen said it was difficult having the discussion last week about closing — and it wasn’t even because business was bad. She posted on Facebook asking people to apply three times before it finally worked.

"So that's when I put the post out, just basically begging, and the community response was just overwhelming. It was very touching. So now we have several applicants to go through," she said.

image00012.jpeg

On Wednesday, Marshall's owners shared what they experienced while trying to hire more staff members. 

Bolen said they weren't worried about closing temporarily for themselves — but for the people the restaurant supports.

"Our employees would have to go on unemployment, and they are servers and bartenders. They're tipped employees, so unemployment wasn't going to help them much, and we just didn't want to make that decision," she said.

Grammer said they weren't sure why people didn’t apply initially, but had some theories. He said they needed certain employees with a lot of restaurant experience — a small pool to choose from, since a lot of restaurants in the area need staff. And since they're a newer restaurant, people don't know the working environment yet.

As of right now, the restaurant has gotten so many applicants that they say they've been able to share them with other restaurants in need of staff members. Currently, they need two more cooks, a kitchen manager, and two more helping hands in the kitchen.

This piece has been updated. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Hardee's on Broadway Street had announced its closure.