ORLANDO, Fla. — For millions, Labor Day meant the day off from work and barbecues and relaxation at the beach.

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But not everyone is enjoying a day off.

Local restaurant managers say they’re overstretched, trying to keep enough staff on board.

According to the 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report, roughly 50% of operators in the food industry said recruiting and retaining employees would be their biggest hurdle this year.

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“Hiring has been a challenge,” said Alexander Hernandez, manager of Gringos Locos. “We’ve been advertising for a while now.”

Hernandez said the busy local eatery is struggling to keep a full staff, especially on busy holiday weekends.

“(On Sunday) we only had two people -- one was a new hire, the other one we have to bring her in, even though she has a sprained wrist. But we don’t have the people, We have to make do with what we have.”

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By 2026, Florida will hit a $15 minimum wage.

Labor secretary Marty Walsh said the labor industry is seeing big gains as far as wages in the state, but Hernandez said it’s more than that.

“It seems like people kind of just don’t want to work, or when they come here they find out they would rather stay home,” Hernandez said, adding that on busy days, not being staffed sometimes pushes customers away.

According to the State of the Restaurant report, 7 in 10 operators said they don’t have enough staff to support their current service demand.

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Video: Food service slumps in Central Florida as restaurants struggle to keep employees People eating at restaurants in Central Florida may have noticed service has slowed down. (James Tutten, WFTV.com/WFTV)

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