Devon restaurant offers £1,000 bonus to hire new staff
A Devon restaurant desperate for staff is offering a £1,000 bonus to new employees who join.
Twenty Seven in Kingsbridge are hiring after staff left in search of better-paid jobs elsewhere.
Head chef and owner Jamie Rogers said this is due to the better hourly rates paid by competitors, which he cannot compete with.
Since reopening after restrictions eased, Jamie said 10 members of staff had left - meaning he has had to turn away some bookings.
Jamie said: "I've never really struggled for staff before because we do a different level of food from most places.
“It's quite a high standard and people want to learn this sort of fine dining.
"But this time round, honestly, I've never seen it so bad. When we came out of lockdown, I've had three people hand in their notice this week, two chefs out of the kitchen have left as well - so three out front and two in the kitchen.
"One of them told me they can go and earn £16 an hour somewhere else because it’s almost like a fluctuated market, so all these places that have got high turnover can afford to pay people more.
Since putting the job advert up on social media last night for a restaurant supervisor, bartender and front of house, Jamie has had 30 people hand in their CVs.
The bonus will be paid to staff who join the team and work until the end of September.
Read more: