By Kayla Loveless, Staff Writer
Driving down Colington road, you stop at the intersection. You spot a bright banner that reads: Free iPhone 12! $14 an hour + benefits!
You may have spotted this banner at Dairy Queen while driving by, or perhaps stopping for a quick Blizzard, but the first thought that probably ran through your mind was “
This year was arguably the Outer Banks’ busiest summer in history, and countless businesses are closing due to being understaffed.
Second to COVID-19, being understaffed is a main reason why some businesses and restaurants are closing for a few days out of the week on the Outer Banks. Kill Devil Grill, Lucky 12 Tavern, McGrath’s Burger Shack are among dozens of other local businesses that have had to cut back their hours due to staffing issues.
Senior Sydney Guns has been an employee at Kill Devil Grill since June 2021. And as school and extracurriculars are back in full swing, Guns has found that finding time to work is getting trickier.
“It is super difficult to fit work into my schedule. I have band, dance, theater, and work to juggle all at the same time,” Guns said. “I try to work at least two days a week.”
One reason these restaurants are so short-staffed is due to a lack of J-1 students this year. J-1 students are students from other countries that are in the United States on a visa. Every year, around many J-1 students come to work at c businesses on the Outer Banks, but there were many restrictions put on these students due to COVID-19.
College students leaving this year also play a major role in businesses being short-staffed. Around two hundred graduates from First Flight alone left to attend college. These teens made up a big part of the workforce this summer.
And once school began on Aug. 23, hundreds of high school students returned to their classes and stepped away from their jobs. A handful of these students still work part-time.
Low housing has also created problems for businesses on the beach. Many long-term rental houses that could be put on the market are being made into vacation homes or weekly rentals, making it difficult for ready workers to find a place to live.
Because of this, many businesses have even resorted to free housing for their employees, including Kitty Hawk Kites, where sophomore Emma Snow is a cashier.
“Plenty of our new workers have come in because the free employee housing caught their eye,” Snow said.
The Outer Banks is coming out of the peak season, but businesses like Kill Devil Grill are still busy as ever. Employees are hoping for the restaurant to stay running.
“Kill Devil Grill is a wonderful family restaurant so we want it to stay open for as long as possible,” Guns said.
Sophomore Kayla Loveless can be reached at 24lovelesska73@daretolearn.org.
