Waukesha Restaurants Continue To Deal With Employee Vacancies

WAUKESHA, WI — Worker vacancies are the latest hurdle for business owners trying to get through the pandemic.

In the United States, there were 10.4 million job openings as of the end of September, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many Waukesha businesses, such as Restaurante Casa Noble and Gyros West, are struggling to find employees.

Gyros West announced last week it would limit its breakfast menu after 4 p.m. to better accommodate customers, according to a Facebook post.

Restaurante Casa Noble co-owner Nory Flores said the staffing issues have affected small businesses such as hers.

What has helped her immensely is the community that has become an extension of the family, she said.

And Flores has family members she can count on in a jam.

She said she has had to change hours on occasion because of worker vacancies.

"Before we were open until 2 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We now close at 9 p.m. [on Tuesdays through Thursdays] and 1o p.m. [ Friday and Saturdays] due to the shortages," she said.

The restaurant, 421 S. Grand Ave., is closed on Mondays and closes at 4 p.m. on Sundays. This Sunday the restaurant will be closed due to a family event.

"Everyone wants to go, and I don't think it is fair they don't get to go because they are helping me out," Flores said.

Flores still struggles with getting enough workers for the kitchen.

"For whatever reason, people don't want to work. I can't find people outside of my family who want to work," she said.

From Failure To Success

The restaurant nestled along South Grand Avenue has been a popular choice for Mexican cuisine for the past three years.

"I didn't want to open a Mexican restaurant," Flores told Patch.

Before Casa Noble, Flores opened Margarita's Mexican Grill in the same location. It was not successful and closed quickly.

"It was an epic fail," Flores said.

Flores said she was inexperienced and didn't have enough staff.

It was at her husband Juan Carlos Sabino's insistence that she took another stab at running a restaurant. Sabino had been a chef for more than 15 years. He grew frustrated at bringing up ideas to his employer and being shut down.

He told his wife he had been very supportive of her and now was asking for the same. Sabino added she could rise above the failure and learn from it.

Sabino's idea was for him to take care of the kitchen part of the business and for Flores to deal with the front of the house and other aspects of the restaurant.

He said if they didn't try again, they would never know. With those words, Flores decided to take the chance.

"He knows the back [kitchen] like the back of his hand," Flores said.

Sabino is in charge of cooking, inventory and hiring, which helps decrease the stress on Flores.

If a cook doesn't show up, it is Sabino who steps in to handle the cooking.

"If anyone misses, he is there. No matter what happens in the front or the back we can handle it," she said.

The restaurant offers burritos, fajitas, flautas, quesadillas and sopes among other items. A popular dish is the carne ala tampiqueña, which is grilled steak skirt, onions, banana pepper and a cheese enchilada topped with grilled shrimp.

For more information on the restaurant, visit the website.