Rant: 600 More Restaurant Jobs?

Many are eagerly awaiting its opening but how will it affect the city?

Eataly is planning to open at the Prudential Center in November and they need to fill approximately 600 jobs. Boston has already been in the midst of a significant shortage of restaurant workers, causing difficulty for many local restaurants. They have had difficulty filling all sorts of positions, from line cooks to servers. This isn't unique to Boston as many other major cities face similar problems.

How then will Eataly fill 600 positions? That is the big, big question.

Looking at Glassdoor, we can get a glimpse into Eataly New York, and gain some insight into how much their employees earn and what some of their employees have said about working at Eataly. We can see that salaries aren't especially lucrative and aren't likely to lure people away from existing jobs. A line cook averages $11.55 an hour and a hostess averages $13 an hour. If you read the more than 70 comments, you'll note that many employees have complained about the low pay, especially when considering the higher cost of living in NYC. There seems to be no reason why Eataly would pay their employees more in Boston than they do in NYC.

If we look further into the comments, it appears that Eataly hires numerous college students to fill their positions, people that may often have little, if any experience. That could help them fill many of the positions which don't require much experience, though it would also reduce some of the potential workers for other local restaurants. To get experienced staff, Eataly will be dipping into a very limited pool, competing with all other local restaurants.

Looking at Glassdoor's rating system, Eataly earned only 3 Stars out of 5, and only 44% of reporting employees would recommend working there to a friend. And even those who awarded 4 or 5 stars to Eataly often had complaints, especially concerning low pay. Glassdoor is still only a glimpse into Eataly, and not necessarily reflective of the majority of employees that worked at Eataly, but still doesn't paint a pretty picture of this Italian marketplace.

Eataly has a certain cachet so working there will appeal to a number of people. They are likely to acquire the necessary amount of employees before they open. The larger issue though will be whether they will be able to retain all of those employees, especially if the Glassdoor comments and salary amounts are accurate. Anyone considering leaving their position at an existing restaurant for Eataly should probably think long and hard about doing so.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

House of Blues: Job Fair, Jan.13-14

The House of Blues is returning to Boston!

The new House of Blues will open in February 2009 with a new larger location across from Fenway Park at 15 Lansdowne Street. The venue will feature a full service restaurant, 2400+ capacity concert hall, retail store and the exclusive VIP membership club, Foundation Room.

But they need people to work there, with over 200 jobs available. So the House of Blues will host a Job Fair on January 13-14, from 9am–7pm at the Absolut Clubhouse at Fenway Park, 72 Brookline Ave, in Boston. They are looking to fill a wide variety of positions, including ticket sellers, line and prep cooks, cocktail staff, restaurant hosts, servers, retail associates, bartenders, security staff, training coordinator, HR assistant, sous chef and dishwashers.

“We are seeking experienced individuals who are enthusiastic about the return of House of Blues to Boston and are ready to bring our signature hospitality back to the Boston market,” said Julie Jordan, general manager for House of Blues Boston. “We are looking forward to being fully-staffed and opening the doors in mid-February.”

I am glad the House of Blues is returning to Boston. I miss some of their food, especially items like their Catfish Nuggets and their incredible Skillet Baked Rosemary Cornbread with Maple Butter. Plus it is a great venue for live music. I look forward to its opening in February.