Hamptons restaurant owner offers discount housing to attract staff

Some Hamptons restaurant owners are offering bonuses and perks to draw in new staff to help fill job openings.

And now, one is offering discount housing, according to Newsday.

Jesse Matsuoka, who co-owns Manna at Lobster Inn in Southampton and Sag Harbor’s Sen and K Pasa restaurants, needs around 50 positions filled and is operating his three restaurants at 50 percent capacity.

Matsuoka has purchased one rental property for staff in Sag Harbor and is in contract for another there. He’ll offer rooms to staff at what he says is half the rent the properties would normally ask.

“Not everyone is offering this so we hope it will be a hook,” Matsuoka said.

Other operators are offering sign-on bonuses, higher pay and referral bonuses to staff that source new hires.

The state Labor Department counted more than 22,700 job openings on Long Island as of Sept. 1, compared to 14,100 the same time last year and 16,000 in 2019.

Long Island’s labor force was 3.7 percent smaller in July 2021 than July 2019. Shortages mean some restaurants are reducing their hours of operation.

[Newsday] — Dennis Lynch