CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — More than 40 businesses in the local restaurant and hotel industry will attend the Restaurant & Food Industry Job Fair at the Omni Hotel Wednesday, which is hosted by Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend.
“If you’re looking for a job in the food or restaurant industry, please come out. This is a great opportunity to network with local employers,” said Xena Mercado, the communications manager with Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend.
Mercado said the businesses will be looking to fill around 300 jobs total, with more than just service positions. Businesses will also be looking to fill managerial positions, Human Resources positions, and more.
“It’s a great opportunity for both businesses and job seekers. Restaurants need the help, and people are looking for work, so, we’re trying to create that connection,” she said.
The Exchange is one of the businesses that will be in attendance Wednesday. Head chef Tony Nichols is looking forward to the event, and the prospect of getting more people on staff.
“Everybody is looking for people to work, front of the house, back of the house, service industry-wide,” Nichols said. “There are jobs all over this town in this industry, people are just begging for people to come work for them.”
House of Rock is another local business that will be in attendance. Casey Lain, the owner and operator of House of Rock, said the business was able to maintain a lot of its staff during the pandemic, but has had trouble filling open roles.
“Over time, you lose people, and replacing them has become more challenging. Everything is coming back online, add that to a booming tourist season. Our industry is a big industry, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity for people out there, and just not enough people to fill the spots,” he said.
Lain said, recently, it’s become harder and harder to find people who want to work in the industry.
“I’ve been in this business my entire life, and things have been rough the last couple of months. We are starting to get more applicants, and things are starting to get a little bit better, but I think there are a lot of people in our industry who left during COVID and found new work, and may not be coming back,” he said.
Nichols said The Exchange will be looking to fill open positions in the kitchen, at the bar, and on the custodial staff. He said turnover is high in the industry normally, but COVID-19 made things more difficult for restaurants, bars, and hotels.
Now that things are starting to open up, and more people are visiting bars and restaurants, being short-staffed is becoming more and more of an issue.
“People are coming back out, and people are wanting to have fun, enjoy themselves, and wanting to eat out, and there aren’t enough people to work. So, in order for us to get back to normal again, we need full capacity on our staff, and so does everybody else around town,” Nichols said.
Worforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend is asking people to pre-register for the event on their website.
Here’s a full list of businesses that will be in attendance at Wednesday’s job fair:
Eatery Five
CC State Supported Living Center
City of CC – Parks & Recreation
Town & Country Restaurant
Cafe Italia
Vick’s Famous Hamburgers
Yardarms Restaurant
Brookdale CC Senior Living
The Geo Group
The House of Rock
Jack In The Box
CBRA
Chartwell.Compass Group (TAMU CC Dining)
Ambridge Hospitality (Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, County Inn & Suites and HamptonInn)
Aramark/Whataburger Field
Crawdaddys Downtown
Whataburger
Pier 99
Astor Restaurant
Omni Hotel
Price’s Chef
BJ’s Restaurant
The Exchange
Tannins Wine Bar & Tapas
Brandy
Wendy’s
Burger King
Texas State Aquarium
McDonalds
Katz 21
Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation (Informational booth, set in foyer)
Starbucks
Rob Flores (The Bar and Grill, Mudd Bugs, Rock and Roll Sushi)
Muse Bistro
Taco Palenque
Core Civic
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend – Child Care Services
Del Mar College
Papa Johns
Iced Cube Corpus Christi
Water Street
Texas Roadhouse
The Post at Lamar Park
The Bar & Grill of Corpus Christi
