7 Real Reasons OKC is Experiencing a Shortage of Service Industry Help

Bad news, buffet, beverage, and brunch enthusiasts! According to KFOR, the OKC metro is experiencing a shortage of service industry employees! While the article blames the deficiency on dispensaries dishing out at least dozen dollars per hour to their hired hands and thus high-jacking the workforce, I think there are other reasons employees are leaving their waiting and bartending gigs. In fact, here are 7 real reasons why the OKC service industry can’t find help.

The Church Crowd

Even though they just spent an hour listening to some pastor recite Jesus quotes on the importance of being patient, humble, and kind, that patience, humility, and kindness was lost before rolling up to the Olive Garden Sunday afternoon.

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The Pay

The minimum wage for many service industry employees in Oklahoma is $2.13 per hour while the minimum wage for most other jobs in the state is $7.25. Though service industry people can usually count on tips each shift, you’ll have better odds coming out on top by betting twenty bucks in the Hinton Casino Sex in the City slot machine than you will gambling that the table of brunching Edmond Karens is going to tip more than 5%.

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The Vegans

Some eat honey. Some even eat oysters. None eat dairy, egg, or meat. But we’re all pains in the ass at restaurants.

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No Benefits

According to the KFOR article mentioned above, some former service industry employees are leaving the business in pursuit of jobs that offer such luxuries as health insurance, time off, and other benefits that are hard to come by when working as a server or bartender. Hell, I’m sure even Frontier City has the benefits of free day-old funnel cakes and pre-shift Diamond Back rides.

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There’s More Badass Jobs Out There

According to the OKC Craigslist, you can get a job being a hotshot running hotshot for oil field companies, yelling at heifers all day as a seasonal farmhand, or even operating a goddang forklift. Some days any of those jobs would beat being covered in cooking oil while getting yelled at by some Karen needing another fork.

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COVID-19

From providing curbside service to mandating masks unless seated, many restaurants have taken precautions to protect their servers from COVID-19. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case and having to deal with wiping down tables of masticated food particles in preparation for another round of patrons who may or may not be anti-vaxx/anti-mask can be risky business for a group of people who-again- usually don’t have health insurance or PTO.

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Possessed Animatronics

Being that the possessed animatronics at Chuck E. Cheese have not had as many defenseless, measles-infected children to devour since the last March, the animatronic mouse, chef, and duck (Goose? Bird?) have turned to feasting upon the afternoon shift employees. Unfortunately, no witness has survived long enough to alert OSHA.

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Hayley at least tries to figure out if a place has vegan options before she visits. Follow her on twitter @squirrellygeek and become a contributing member of TLO here.