A lot of people in Bloomington Normal needed a fur child to relieve the isolation and get through the pandemic. A lot of those kitties and doggies are going back to animal shelters when their humans no longer want the pets. It takes a wage of more than sixteen bucks an hour to afford a two bedroom apartment in Bloomington Normal. A minimum wage earner has to work one and a half jobs just to have a place to sleep. Plus, Jersey Mike s restaurant is set to open. Texas Roadhouse in Bloomington Normal will be delayed a bit. Hear about the Bloomington Normal Restaurant Scene with Larry Carius.
Larry Carius / Facebook
The end of COVID-19 mitigation rules that banned indoor restaurant service in Bloomington-Normal has created a new problem for Twin City eateries.
On-again off again restaurant service has caused many professional restaurant workers to give up on the community, according to Larry Carius, who writes about the Bloomington-Normal Restaurant Scene on Facebook. There s an employee shortage right now as they are opening indoor dining. They are scrambling to find employees, said Carius.
Carius said the shortage is largely in the professional, full-time restaurant worker category. Managers, assistant managers, chefs, cooks a lot of them have moved outside of Bloomington-Normal. While our dining rooms were closed here, you could go to other states, said Carius.
LARRY CARIUS
Three new restaurants â The Original Pinsaria, Pokeworks and Pizza Payaa â have opened in Bloomington in the last month, and two more â Pueblo Grande and Pho Bowl Vietnamese Cuisine â are planned to open before the end of the year.
I find it very interesting, maybe even amazing, that five new Bloomington-Normal restaurants will have opened in two months in what is the apparent height of the COVID-19 crisis, the most difficult time for the restaurant business that I have seen.
And, two opened on the same Saturday!
Letâs take a look at all five:
The Original Pinsaria: The husband/wife owners describe their pizza as âpinsa,â a Rome, Italy, style of pizza. Their tagline is âItâs all about the dough.â