As customers line up to try Gobbler Chicken, Penn Station subs and, soon, Quesadilla Express, business owners and local officials say finding employees may be a problem.
Penn Station opened in Oxford on Nov. 30. The Cincinnati-based chain opened in 1985 and specializes in submarine sandwiches, which it dubs “East Coast Style.” On its opening day, Penn Station, at 3612 Southpointe Parkway, had the most sales that weekend of the entire chain.
“We beat the second-highest Penn Station by $5,000,” said assistant store manager Chris Frey. “We had tons of orders coming in, and it was a lot to keep up.”
However, the restaurant was understaffed when it opened, store owner Andrew Brennan said.
“We have about 17 employees right now but typically look for 25 to 30 employees. We offer flexible hours and an easygoing work environment, but it is just difficult to find enough people to fill those roles,” Brennan said.
Seth Cropenbaker, Oxford’s economic development specialist, said that new restaurants create variety that can attract people to the city. Oxford relies heavily on its restaurants for employment. Cropenbaker said 30% of jobs in the city are service-based.
“Employers are really kind of required to make their jobs more attractive, whether that’s rate of compensation, hourly wage, whether that’s other benefits, whether that’s flexibility of scheduling,” Cropenbaker said. “That can be tough, certainly for local businesses. We have a lot of independently, locally-owned businesses in town.”
Quesadilla Express, a new locally-owned business expected to open soon at 5174 College Corner Pike, was started by Alfonso Garcia, who also owns AG&F Remodeling in Oxford. Garcia said he made the jump from construction to food because starting a restaurant has always been his family’s dream.
“It’s a dream for my wife and family to have a restaurant in town because that’s the place I live, the place my children live,” Garcia said. “I’m trying to be part of the community.”
Quesadilla Express will serve Mexican food, both eat-in and to-go.
“Because it’s a family business, it’s not a big chain,” Garcia said. “We’re trying to treat a customer the better way, to give good service to the customer, to the community.”
Gobbler, at 327 W. Spring St., also opened the weekend following Thanksgiving and experienced long lines.
“Competition for me is ‘get better,’” Garcia said. “Better food, better customer service. It’s not competition between one restaurant and another one. It’s competition to be successful or give more options to the customer.”
