On Friday, we were honored to speak at the “Meet the Candidates” dinner hosted by the Cherokee County Republican Party at Catch 22 Bar & Grill in Canton. The owners of the restaurant were awesome and ensured the crowd was well-fed and taken care of. Unfortunately, they shared a personal story that is becoming all too common to small businesses. They typically receive a delivery truck Ocala FL each week, but this past week the truck never arrived. When they inquired, they were informed that their delivery truck would not be coming this week or next week or possibly ever again. Why, because the supply company normally has 125 employees loading the trucks and now they are down to only 20 people showing up for work. This Labor crisis is not only causing a panic for these owners, but for most of the restaurant industry. Dennis began calling suppliers to keep his restaurant open and meet the needs of his patrons, and quickly discovered the only suppliers available were priced at 40% higher. Although the restaurant is the busiest it has ever been, these increased costs are unsustainable and causing them to lose money each night. As we travel the state, similar stories are shared as hard working Georgians struggle to keep the doors open.
