4-Day Workweek, Rotating Menus At Revamped Camden County Restaurant

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — Worker shortages continue to plague the restaurant industry, but one Camden County establishment believes it found a solution: scaling back to a four-day workweek. To make the arrangement possible, Hearthside transformed how it serves customers.

Hearthside (801 Haddon Ave., Collingswood) previously operated from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Last week, the fine-dining establishment cut Tuesday from its schedule and maintained the same hours for the ensuing four days — a decision driven by the desire to create a better work-life balance for employees, offer more reliable wages, and find a more sustainable business model during a tumultuous era for the industry.

"When faced with long-standing labor shortages nationwide that acutely and disproportionately affect restaurants, you need to ask yourself why so many capable and talented people are deciding hospitality is not a viable career path," said Chef Dominic Piperno. "Fundamentally changing a restaurant that our community responded well to may seem like a hard choice, but really it was an easy one."

As of January, the restaurant labor force remained 450,000 employees below pre-COVID levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to an industry survey from Toast, the top reasons for leaving the restaurant business included insufficient pay, bad managers and lack of opportunities for career growth.

Hearthside ownership believed it was time to rethink the restaurant model. As a result, the establishment cut a day off the workweek and moved to rotating, fixed menus. Additionally, the BYOB eatery now only takes reservations.

The business's set menus will change twice a month. Hearthside launched the new format Wednesday with a menu that spotlights South American dishes, which will run through Saturday. Sample dishes include:

• Kanpachi, passion fruit, and lime
• Red snapper, aguachile, and chayote
• Carne Asada Hanger Steak

The restaurant will offer a rustic Italian menu from March 15-25. The fixed menus and reservation-only status has several perks, according to Hearthside. It will help the eatery reduce waste while allowing the culinary team to more thoughtfully collaborate with farmers and purveyors. The new setup also allows staff to more strategically prepare for each evening by knowing the exact number of guests.

"Our team can expect more consistency at work, reasonable hours that are commonplace for many other industries but not ours, and more freedom in the kitchen," Dominic Piperno said. "We truly believe the guest experience will dramatically improve as a result and that our regulars can now have something new to look forward to every two weeks."

Reservations are available via Resy. Pricing for each menu will range from $90-125 per person.