GRAND FORKS – Half Brothers Brewing Company will close its kitchen at the end of the weekend, the brewery announced in a Saturday, April 6, Facebook post.
“We have struggled for years to find the employees we need to run this small but mighty pizza kitchen, so myself and other employees have spent extra days and nights away from our families. ” said a message from owner and brewmaster Chad Gunderson.
“We will take a break, regroup and look for more employees before reopening our pizza kitchen.”
Breweries have been understaffed for months. The company transitioned to shortened business hours in November because the kitchen could no longer fulfill its role.
At the time, Mr. Gunderson reported that he was working as a pizza chef along with other regular kitchen employees.
He told the Herald in December that he was unable to hire more kitchen staff despite offering a wage of $16 an hour plus tips, and that large employers and fast food chains have consistently fired him. He said there was.
Text messages and voicemails left for Gunderson had not been returned as of Saturday afternoon.
The Grand Forks metro has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, making it a symbol of the labor shortage.
The metro area had the 12th lowest unadjusted unemployment rate in the nation in February, tied with the Fargo-Moorhead area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Joshua Irvine covers K-12 and higher education and the Grand Forks County Commission for the Grand Forks Herald. He joined the Herald in October 2023.
