Due to the current employee shortage, The Sassy Biscuit, a popular downtown Billings restaurant, has temporarily closed its doors.
According to owner Jilan Hall-Johnson, there are not enough staff members to meet the customer demand.
“The main priority is making sure that the guest experience is superb. If we weren’t able to deliver that then it was time to close our door,” said Johnson.
Johnson said the restaurant can see anywhere from 200 to 700 people depending on the day. The current shortage of workers means she is not able to hire new staff members and the current staff are starting to feel the effects.
“They are feeling overworked, and they just need us, they just need assistance. We have definitely seen a decline in applicants, in fact we have had job postings for both back and front of the house for a couple of months now. New applicants just aren’t coming through,” said Johnson.
She said she has had similar hiring issues at her New Hampshire location as well.
Johnson said she has since reevaluated wages, added new hire incentives, and is trying to make employees feel as safe as possible.
Johnson said that the restaurant will reopen in the upcoming week. She hired a new kitchen manager and key staff members from her New Hampshire location will soon be flying in to help the Billings team regroup and provide quality customer service to Billings again.
“It's just been awesome to see how much billings is willing to do to support us and get us back on track,” said Johnson.
For information on job opportunities at The Sassy Biscuit, visit https://sassystaff.com/
