A 46-year-old Italian restaurant in St. Louis said it closed because it couldn’t find enough staff. “There’s nothing more we can do,” its owners said.

• Balducci's, an Italian restaurant in St. Louis, said it was forced to close because it couldn't find enough staff.
• "When we can't find enough people to staff the operation, there's nothing more we can do," its owners said.
• Restaurants have been cutting their hours and closing their dining rooms due to understaffing.

A 46-year-old Italian restaurant in St. Louis has said it was forced to close because of understaffing.

"It's very sad and emotional to let go, but when we can't find enough people to staff the operation, there's nothing more we can do," the owners of Balducci's wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.

The US is suffering from a huge labor deficit as staff quit their jobs in search of better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Factors related to the pandemic, such as rising cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19, are also putting some off from applying for jobs.

The labor shortage has hit industries ranging from education and healthcare to trucking and tech, but the hospitality industry has been hit especially hard. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that people have been quitting jobs in the accommodation and food-services sector at twice the national average rate.

The owners of Balducci's didn't provide further information on their staff shortfall. In a previous Facebook post on June 6, the restaurant said it would close its dining room on Sunday evenings and provide carryout and curbside orders only.

"This isn't permanent but it will continue until we are able to properly staff the restaurant where we are at the point of being able to provide the service our patrons have come to expect from us," the restaurant said at the time. It is unclear whether this policy remained in place until the restaurant's closure.

Restaurants have been changing their opening hours or closing their dining rooms both because they can't find enough staff to operate as usual and because labor is getting more expensive. Some have hiked up menu prices, too, like a chicken restaurant in Pennsylvania that has put prices up every month since May because of growing labor and ingredients costs.

Some restaurants have tried to boost both recruitment and retention by upping wages, offering hiring and performance bonuses, and providing other benefits.

Some say this was successful, like the owner of Dirt Candy in Manhattan, who said that she hasn't had any problems staffing her restaurant after boosting its starting wage to $25. However, other independent restaurants say that they can't compete on wages with chains like McDonald's and Starbucks.

Balducci's was opened in 1975 by the grandson of Italian immigrants and has since stayed in the Balducci family, per its website.

Longevity is "one of the things the Balducci staff is most proud of," the restaurant says on its website, adding that many young people have paid for school, automobiles, and down-payments for homes by working there.

Balducci's said in its Facebook post Sunday: "We can't thank our amazing staff enough for sticking with us and fighting till the end."

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