Taste Of Smyrna Postponed Until 2022 Due To Labor Shortage

SMYRNA, GA — Due to difficult staffing struggles and the labor market, the annual Taste of Smyrna food festival is postponed from next weekend to September 2022, event organizers announced last week.

The festival, originally scheduled for Sept. 18, is now planned for Sept. 17, 2022. Taste of Marietta was also postponed to 2022 as well.

"Unfortunately, local restaurants are not able to participate due to employee shortages, and we want this event to maintain the high standard of bringing the best taste event our area has to offer. We are sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment, but we look forward to seeing everyone next year," the announcement reads.

However, the city of Smyrna and Taste of Smyrna event organizers are still hosting an event Sept. 18 to support local restaurants: College Football Saturday, located in Smyrna Market Village from 3-10 p.m.

Visitors can browse local shops, grab a bite from one of the many local restaurants, listen to live music and watch some college football on a giant 8' by 15' LED big screen. There's no admission fee to attend. For more information, visit Facebook.com/TasteofSmyrna.

Restaurant owners in Cobb County, Georgia and across the nation have been struggling to find and hire employees. Some Cobb restaurant owners attribute the workforce shortage to extended federal unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums, though the unemployment boost ended in June in Georgia, and eviction bans — excluding DeKalb County — ended in August.

Others have said the pandemic's toll on the restaurant industry have sent restaurant workers into other service jobs or career paths, The Marietta Daily Journal reported.

Restaurants are still struggling even with help from the U.S. Small Business Association's Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was created to help restaurants amid the COVID-19 pandemic but has already closed applications — and was only able to fund roughly one in three applications, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The Georgia Restaurant Association joined the National Restaurant Association and restaurant/hospitality groups from all 50 states in sending a letter to Congress Aug. 24, asking it to "complete the mission of the RRF and provide adequate funds to replenish the program" and offer relief to the 177,000 applications still pending.

"A majority of consumers have changed their dining behavior in a manner that is beginning to put acute pressure back on the restaurant industry. This development comes on top of food and labor costs that are increasing at their fastest pace in several years, continued indoor capacity limits in 11 states, and crushing longterm debt loads for countless restaurant owners," the letter reads, citing a national survey of customers assessing the state of the industry. "The small gains that our industry has made toward financial security are in danger of being wiped out, dashing the hopes of communities, entrepreneurs, and consumers nationwide."