SPOKANE, Wash. — A popular pizza place in Spokane will temporarily close its doors on Sundays amid a worker shortage that continues to impact some local businesses.
David's Pizza wrote in a Facebook post, "Our apologies but for the first time in 26 years David's will be temporarily closed on Sunday only. The shortage of workers has taken a toll all over Spokane, we've tried diligently to keep the problem from changing our hours here."
In the Facebook post, David's Pizza said the staffing situation will be "remedied quickly" and the restaurant will reopen on Sundays "as fast as possible."
The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, according to the post. Anyone interested in working at David's Pizza can reach out to the restaurant on its website.
David's Pizza is not the only business in the Spokane area that's been impacted by worker shortages. Dick's Hamburgers in Spokane announced in a Facebook post on July 6 that it would be closed on Sundays beginning July 10 due to "scheduling issues and a lack of employees."
"We're running with a really limited crew right now, and we appreciate your patience and kindness!" Dick's Hamburgers wrote in the Facebook post.
Table 13 & Whiskey Bar in Spokane's Davenport Grand was temporarily closed as it worked on hiring staff. The business provided a $250 hiring bonus for some positions and has reopened as of Tuesday, Aug. 10, according to a Facebook post.
Grant Forsyth, chief economist for Avista, spoke with KREM's Amanda Roley about worker shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2021. He said at the time that the national trend was impacting industries with low pay rates.
Academic research reviewed by the Federal Reserve found that unemployment insurance benefits are too small and too short-lived to make people give up a return-to-work offer, Forsyth shared. There are still some cases, though, where people are not returning to work because their unemployment benefits are paying more than their previous job, he said. But it's not the only driving factor behind the employee shortage. A lack of childcare has also posed problems for some parents.
Some businesses in the Lilac City and North Idaho have offered hiring bonuses to attract new employees amid the shortages.