US restaurants’ new normal: Fewer cashiers, chefs, and wait staff NEW YORK, USA – Whether they are selling burgers, pizza, or pancakes, major US restaurant chains are short-staffed – and they expect to stay that way. To get by with their existing workforce, they have cut hours and streamlined operations. Staffing at IHOP and at Applebee’s Grill Bar chains, both owned by Dine Brands Global, is currently at about 90% of 2019 levels – the status quo for at least the past four quarters, chief executive officer John Peyton told Reuters, calling it “the new normal.” IHOP, known for its 24|7 service, is shortening hours at about 400 locations, or almost a quarter of its US restaurants, because they lack overnight shift workers, Peyton said. Restaurants are now facing the grim reality that they are coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with fewer workers for the long haul, as many had to slash staffing in the early days of lockdowns. Now they are putting employees where they are needed most, using technology to plug gaps, and adapting to post-pandemic consumer habits that favor kiosks, delivery, and drive-thrus over cashiers at registers.