The owners of a Windsor restaurant have temporarily closed the doors to one of their locations due to a staffing shortage.
In a Facebook post and with a sign on the door, Frydays Authentic Fish & Chips on Walker Road in Windsor indicated that their student employees are taking exams and have asked for time off to study.
“They told us that they need to study for the finals and we let them,” said co-owner Nita Crawford. “Because we care about them.”
The owners explained that Frydays encourages and promotes education and would like to give employees the opportunity to excel in their studies, while indicating the restaurant’s other location in Tecumseh would remain open.
Frydays Authentic Fish & Chips has decided to close its Walker Road location for two days to give their staff time to study for exams in Windsor, Ont. on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“Most of our employees are students,” Crawford explained. “I feel like they are my kids too. I am a mom. We’re doing this because we love the kids. We want them to learn something. We want them to excel in their education.”
Management explained that Fridays are typically the busiest time at Frydays, noting the closure would cost thousands of dollars, but that wasn’t the point.
“It’s about the love and care for your employees,” said co-owner Steve Crawford.
Crawford told CTV News that they never expected the positive response they have received since making the decision earlier this week.
“We want them to succeed in their education,” he said. “I can’t stress enough that education is where it is. We’re not doing this as a stunt of any kind. We didn’t expect this to go anywhere!”
The couple admit it’s difficult to find reliable staff, saying it’s better to have happy employees by offering flexible schedules than to have workers quit.
Nita added, “If we don’t have these employees, we are nothing.”
Doors at the Walker Road location are expected to reopen on Tuesday.
Frydays Authentic Fish & Chips has decided to close its Walker Road location for two days to give their staff time to study for exams in Windsor, Ont. on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
Comments are closed.