A sushi restaurant chain in California has been forced to close all 9 locations once a week because of a staff shortage

• A California sushi chain is temporarily closing once a week because it is struggling to find staff.
• Its CEO said he has been looking for workers for months, KCRA reported.
• Some managers have been stepping in to wash the dishes every day as a result.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

The owner of sushi chain Mikuni has been forced to close all nine locations once a week, on a temporary basis, because he is struggling to find workers, according to KCRA.

In a Twitter post, owner and chef Taro Arai said: “I am sorry but we have decided to close #Mikunisushi every Monday temporarily from next week due to labor shortage.”

Mikuni Restaurant Group has been operating for more than 30 years, with branches based in the Sacramento region of California. But the combination of the pandemic and a hiring crisis has left it struggling, KCRA reported.

“It seems that every day we have to come up with new ways to run our business,” Arai told the outlet. “We have a good business, our customers, but now we have no help.”

Arai has been looking for workers for months, he told KCRA. A few months ago, he even held a job fair to attract workers but only received three applicants.

He is not alone in his predicament. Recently, a Dunkin’ branch in Colorado Springs temporarily closed because it can’t find enough workers. The store would usually have 15 employees on its rota. But that fell to three just before the store closed, due to a staffing shortage that is rippling through the US.

“Our staff work overtime, twice as much overtime, and some managers wash the dishes every day,” Arai told KCRA. “I would like to use this time to hire and train for 100% reopening. I will use my time wisely.”

Arai said he won’t stop fighting. He told the outlet he is working to add 20 to 30 people per location.