CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Restaurants in Corpus Christi are working to fill vacant positions heading into busy summer months.
With more tourists, and potential customers, visiting places like Padre Island, summer is a peak time for restaurants.
Some establishments have multiple open positions throughout the restaurant and are actively interviewing.
As owner of Angry Marlin Restaurant and Black Sheep Bistro, Glenn Mier said summer is always a busy time of year. He has open positions for hostesses, servers, bartenders, and kitchen staff. With hundreds of customers a day, filling those positions is how he said they can speed up service and allow staff to better focus on customers.
"If they have a good time when they go out to eat, they're likely to come back to Corpus Christi, visit again. So, it's a good opportunity for us and great opportunity for the staff to make great money having fun," he said.
Mier said increasing his staff by about 20-25 percent can help his employees make more money while also not having to work as many hours. While they do hire staff for the summer, he said almost everyone has an opportunity to stay even after summer is over.
Down the road at Island Italian Restaurant, owner Tony Tagliaferro said finding additional staff is a challenge.
"People don't show up, they say they're coming, they don't come, it's actually a waste of time. Facebook is usually our best. We tell people to come in and fill out an application out and that lets us know that they actually want a job," he said.
Tagliaferro said having a waitlist to manage how quickly people are seated and not taking to-go orders over the phone on their busiest days helps. He noticed the need for more staff since after the COVID-19 pandemic and said other restaurants on Padre Island are even more affected. But, he is confident his staff can keep up with demand and is ready to step up and help, as needed.
"I'm here to back them up. If they're busy, I'm here to wash dishes, I'm here to cook, I'm here to do the bar, I'm here to do the tables. Whatever I can do, I'm here to do," he said.
Tagliaferro said Island Italian's customers can double or triple in size over in the summer compared to what they are used to. That means about 300-400 people a day, and he said about five more people on his staff can help meet that demand.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Sinton survives key ejections, controversy to advance to state
- Lady 'Cats win first state softball title
- Former London ISD teacher who had improper relationship with student rearrested
- Man who allegedly shot, killed woman in Central Texas arrested in Ingleside
- 'Walking the stage' has special meaning for Veterans Memorial High School student
- Here's when you can watch the 2023 solar eclipse over Corpus Christi
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews.
Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.