Vicky Cottier, who runs Victory Café, has taken to Facebook to explain the struggles recruiting for the hospitality sector, and how the Government are not helping the sector.
Cottier was not alone in her views, with many other hospitality businesses jumping on the thread and sharing her frustrations.
She said its a ‘crying shame’, so many friends in hospitality and we are all experiencing the same thing.
Victory Café has been searching for a full time kitchen person for the last 8 months; says ‘there are simply not enough people who work in hospitality’.
Recruitment struggle
She’s also highlighted how other businesses in the sector ‘simply can’t compete’ with industries such as the finance sector.
She said: “Many folk in hospitality won’t be able to get a mortgage. Hospitality business owners simply can’t compete.
“Our profit margins are horribly squeezed, and so, we just can’t give the salaries that our super hard working people, who make the whole cafe world go round, truly deserve.”
Government
She eluded to the VAT bill the business receives being far from helpful:
“I live in false hope that somehow VAT could be reduced (I know, I know…. you folk in Government ‘JUST CAN’T DO THIS!!’ – though I’m not so sure that I understand why), or even some sort of VAT rebate (which I have heard has been muted).
“If this happened, honestly, us hospitality business owners would plough that extra money right back into our people because we all believe that we deserve higher pay.
“We all know that higher pay would draw people out of those jobs that they don’t enjoy and over into our sector where we sing in the kitchen, be super creative, pull off crazy shifts, and thoroughly enjoy being together.”
She concluded her thoughts by saying, ‘the world is upside down’.
Hospitality
Many other business owners share Vicky’s views.
One saying that ‘Supporting local has never been so important and yet so difficult in this cost of living crisis. How can small businesses and their staff survive when they can only benefit from 30% of any income after all other essential costs are paid’.
The Whistlestop Coffee Shop backed Vicky and said: “We too had applications from Iran, Israel and Egypt .
“Time for those that should be able to make a difference-do so, before we have no hospitality sector left.”
It called out the former Enterprise Minster, Dr Alex Allinson MHK, “you boldly spoke of hospitality and small business being the life blood of the Isle of Man . Hospitality has has large festering wound that gets deeper by the day. Hospitality is slowly dying”.
In response to one the comments on the thread, Vicky said: “I have lost faith in our MHKs and Ministers. Whilst their intentions are really, really good, there seems to be nothing they can do.
“There seems to be this accepted ‘churn industry’ mentality…. It’s all ok because when one one closes another pops up! It was said to me direct by a senior member of the business team. How dare they.”
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