NEW YORK
Kruger said he expects to add between 10 to 15 employees at his four restaurants in Midtown Manhattan this season. His hiring projection is on par with what he did in past summers and falls in line with an employment outlook for the summer released Monday by the National Restaurant Association.
The NRA is predicting that eating and drinking places will add 381,800 jobs between June and August, a 4.1-percent increase over the industry's employment levels in March. The rise in employment may also be an indicator of the beginning of an economic recovery for the industry, said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the NRA’s research and knowledge group
“While overall U.S. employment growth remains negative, the industry is bucking that trend as it added jobs in May for the first time in 10 months,” Riehle said. “Building on that gain, the growth in summer employment is a clear sign that the restaurant industry remains a powerhouse in the U.S. economy.”
The expected growth in summer restaurant jobs comes despite earlier reports that predicted alackluster summer for travel. Last month, the U.S. Travel Association projected there would be 322 million domestic "leisure person-trips" in June, July and August, a 2.2-percent dip from last summer's figures.
The NRA's projection for employment growth this summer is the same as last summer's growth of 4.1 percent and slightly below the summer job growth of 4.8 percent in 2007, before the economic downturn began.
Tourism and travel peak in the summer months, and restaurant operators usually respond by ramping up their hiring.
“We tend to be somewhat dependent on tourism in Midtown Manhattan,” Kruger said. “The tourists are out and we’ve added additional crew to our stores. We haven’t had a problem finding qualified people to work for us.”
States projected to add the most restaurant jobs for the summer are New York, with 32,900 jobs; California, with 30,900; Texas, with 26,400; Massachusetts with 23,600; New Jersey with 19,600; Illinois with 19,300 and Ohio, with 19,000.
At the 23-unit Yard House Restaurants, hiring patterns this year are similar to those in previous years, and the summer is no exception, said Harald Herrmann, president and chief executive of the Irvine, Calif.-based chain.
“For our restaurants that are location specific, some seasonal hiring takes place,” Herrmann said. “And for us, like a lot of Southern California restaurants, summer is our season, so to speak. We typically bring on more staff, and this year is consistent with years past.”
While travel and tourism tend to be up throughout the country in the summer, two states are projected to see a decline in restaurant employment: Florida is expected to drop 18,200 jobs and Arizona 7,200.
Contact Dina Berta at [email protected].