Lizard’s Thicket is temporarily closing one of its restaurants. Here’s why
An iconic Columbia chain temporarily closed one of its restaurants due to a labor shortage.
The Lizard’s Thicket at 402 Beltline Road closed Friday, according to a company Facebook post Thursday night. It’s currently unclear when the restaurant will reopen, owners posted on their Facebook page.
Staff members were relocated to other nearby Lizard’s Thickets to continue working, according to the post.
Across the country, businesses are struggling to find employees, especially when it comes to filling lower-wage jobs. The United State saw 10.1 million job openings in June, the highest on record, according to the Labor Department. The leisure and hospitality industry bore the brunt of those openings, with 1.6 million jobs needing to be filled.
Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate continues to sink. The Labor Department reported a rate of 5.4%, the lowest in 16 months, earlier this month.
In South Carolina, the state saw an increase in jobs overall from June 2020 to June 2021, and growth in the leisure and hospitality business marked the largest jump, according to an employment survey from the state Department of Employment and Workforce. During that year, the industry saw an increase of about 26,000 jobs.
