Help Wanted: Midtown Sacramento Restaurants Are Hiring Again

The COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to the restaurant industry. Specifically, locally owned and operated restaurants.

It's nearing a year since the pandemic first arrived in the U.S. and restaurant owners were forced to furlough large portions of their staff.

But with COVID-19 restrictions easing up and the state slowly, but surely, getting more Californians vaccinated, Sacramento businesses are looking to hire again.

When Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a state-mandated lockdown last March, restaurants had to survive on curbside pick-up and delivery orders.

One Midtown Sacramento restaurant, Zocalo's, lost about half of its staff since the pandemic started. Now they're starting to bring back workers.

"I need about 30 people for this location," Nestor Jimenez with the restaurant told CBS13. "I did 10 interviews today, I will do 10 tomorrow. We're looking for entry-level positions, mostly in the kitchen. It's a very easy process, you apply online and we will be able to pull up your resume."

Another local business Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe, also told CBS13 they are looking for employees.

"We are seeing more customers with the warmer weather, and so the need for hiring is up," said Lexi Bravo with the cafe.

1.4 million people worked in California restaurants before the pandemic, but by August of 2020, one million of them had been either laid off or furloughed, reports CBS13.

You can find applications for Zocalo and Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe on their websites.

Photo: Getty Images