SAN ANTONIO – The restaurant industry is struggling, and a new economic report shows just how much.
The Texas Restaurant Association recently released its second-quarter survey results, which show restaurant operators listing the two top issues affecting their staff.
“These numbers are very shocking to us,” said Dawn Ann Larios, San Antonio director of the Texas Restaurant Association.
Larios grew concerned when she saw the new quarterly economic report based on surveys from the 58,000 restaurants the association represents across the state.
Several numbers caught her attention on this report versus previous surveys:
Nearly half of their Texas restaurants said they do not have the workforce they need to succeed
36% said they have lost employees this year due to immigration enforcement
26% said they have seen less customer traffic because of immigration activity
“Folks are just scared to get out,” Larios said.
KSAT reported a few weeks ago on how immigration is affecting restaurants, and how hard the Texas Restaurant Association is lobbying for work permits for immigrant workers.
“Right now, we are advocating for work permits for long-term law-abiding citizens, and we are fortunate that President Trump is even behind this. He’s supportive of work permits,” Larios said.
Restaurant owners are also reporting issues with insurance pricing. Premiums are spiking and becoming unaffordable, especially on top of other financial factors.
“You talk about food costs being up 35% since the pandemic, and if we can’t secure the food workforce we need for farms, ranches, dairies, meat-packing plants and restaurants, food will become even more unaffordable for our community,” Larios said.
The association said it has the public in mind as it continues to push federal, state and local leaders to support restaurants for the good of the overall economy.
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