A Denver bar owner thought she'd finally be able to find a bartender with a cash incentive.
Fiona Arnold has been trying to hire more staff at Room For Milly on Platte Street in downtown Denver, reports 9NEWS.
She eventually decided to offer any new bartender a $2,500 bonus. Arnold is also offering a $2,500 referral bonus for any current staff member that brings in a new employee.
Despite the big cash incentive, she still couldn't fill the position.
“Typically your reputation is why people want to come work, but every single place in Denver is short,” Arnold told 9NEWS.
Arnold has always offered a generous benefits package for employees even before the pandemic. She offered a 401(k), paid sick leave, and paid time off to all workers.
“We thought with all the pent-up demand it would be an amazing happy celebratory reopening. Well, it was until we had to close two days a week because we didn’t want to wear out our existing staff,” she said.
Room For Milly isn't the only Denver bar having trouble finding employees.
According to the Colorado Restaurant Association, restaurants and bars in the metro area are all offering unique incentives to attract new workers.
“Unfortunately, a number of people left the industry during COVID when there wasn’t work and restaurants were shut down for indoor dining,” Sonia Riggs, president, and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association told 9NEWS.
Without the extra help, Arnold said she decided to close Room For Milly two days a week.