Shaun McCollum, general manager and executive chef at Loula's chops celery as he prepares to make gumbo on Thursday morning, September 19. McCollum said Loula's had to reduce their hours to only serve breakfast and lunch because they could not get enough staff to keep the restaurant open all day.(Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
September 22, 2019
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September 22, 2019 4 a.m.
Worst summer yet for seasonal staffing shortage
Summer 2019 was a great season for business, but a hard time for the businesses themselves. From Bigfork to Whitefish, employers confronted a workforce shortage more extreme than they had ever experienced before. Even as business boomed, many managers and owners resorted to cutting hours and services to meet the growing demand with shrinking staffs.