It is a familiar theme. Hospitality and dining are in the entertainment business. With the spring season beginning, the opening of arts and cultural venues has been greeted with near-record crowds. Restaurants are enjoying similar capacity records. What they all have in common is a stressed system due to staffing shortages.
The employment issue is not easily explained. Many businesses are finding they are doing record business with a fraction of the staff they had on hand before the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to technology and the large-scale reorganization that has taken place throughout society. In food service, what is appearing is a glimmer of hope in that a growing number of businesses are reaching staffing levels comparable to those from before the pandemic. For instance, the fast-casual chain Chipotle announced at the end of April that its employee count was the same as it was in 2019.
Newport Restaurant Group, an award-winning collection of unique restaurants and hospitality venues located in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, recently hired and promoted 18 people. NRG is the only employee-owned hospitality company in Rhode Island and offers full benefits, food and beverage discounts, generous time off and opportunities for career advancement.
“This is the most significant round of hiring we’ve done in our history, demonstrating the strength of our company, even after two years of setbacks due to the pandemic,” said Kristin Allain, NRG director of human resources. “It’s a true testament to our unique employee-ownership model and our strong leadership that we have been able to attract and retain talent, despite the labor shortage, which reaches far beyond the hospitality industry.”
Some of the notable customer-facing promotions include:
Alia Asher, of Westport, has been promoted to executive sous chef at the Boat House Waterfront Dining in Tiverton. Before that, she was sous chef at 22 Bowen’s Wine Bar & Grille in Newport.
Paul Sousa, of North Providence, has been promoted to general manager at Bar ‘Cino and La Vecina Taqueria in Newport. Sousa joined NRG in 2014 as a restaurant manager at Hemenway’s Restaurant before taking the helm at Waterman Grille. Prior to joining NRG, he managed Cafe Paragon and Viva on Thayer Street in Providence.
Tobey Sanborn, an NRG veteran, has been named director of training, responsible for meeting strategic objectives related to the training and development of all staff members. Sanborn served as general manager of Hemenway’s before it was purchased by NRG in 2009. He has since held roles consisting of oversight of management training programs, the acquisition of the Papa Razzi locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Waterman Grille and the Boat House.
Celia Darragh, of Johnston, has been named general manager of Trio in Narragansett. Darragh joined NRG in 2017 as a dining room supervisor at The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar in Newport and worked her way up to assistant general manager in February 2021.
Greg Coccio, of East Greenwich, has been named corporate executive chef, responsible for training culinary teams on advanced cooking techniques, quality assurance, implementation and training with regards to new culinary objectives and operational support for every restaurant. Coccio has been with NRG since 2010, first as a kitchen supervisor and most recently as executive chef at Avvio Ristorante in Cranston.
This news is at odds with the prevailing narrative put forth even by some in the restaurant industry who continue to lobby for more funding from the government. It is a cautionary tale in that continued demands for artificial support by playing on sympathies may paint a picture of certain businesses that are unable to serve a growing number of guests.
Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.
