O’Connor’s temporarily closes to public, as it deals with staffing shortages
Photo | Timothy Doyle
O'Connor's Restaurant in Worcester
A prominent Worcester restaurant has cut back its operations as it deals with staffing shortages and temporarily shifted to an events-only model.
O’Connor’s Restaurant & Bar at 1160 West Boylston St. is temporarily closed to all customers except those with pre-booked events, as the restaurants deals with a shortage of available staff, according to a Facebook post from Saturday on O’Connor’s Facebook page by Christine Arsenault, the restaurant’s general manager.
“We want to be fully staffed with employees that are properly trained to handle the volume we do here,” the post reads. “Business has been great, and everything has been going really well. The staff we do have is one big hard working family. Times are tough in this industry and very different than in the past. I’ve been working here for 15 years so I’ve seen a lot; but I choose to stay because O’Connor’s is like home to me, and it is my honor to keep it going in a great direction with the Maxwell’s.”
O’Connor’s was founded by husband and wife Irish immigrants Brendan and Claire O’Connor in 1989. In the summer of 2022, the O’Connors retired, selling the restaurant to Dennis and Jennifer Maxwell and their son Kyle. The Maxwells purchased the property containing O’Connors for $2.2 million in August of that year.
Arsenault’s post says the restaurant hopes to open back up to all diners in early May.
O’Connor’s did not return a call from WBJ on Monday morning seeking further comment on the temporary closure.
Companies like O’Connor’s in sectors requiring staff to be fully in-person have struggled to retain workers since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Stricter federal immigration policies could cause further shortages and force restaurant owners to raise wages to attract workers, according to The Food Institute.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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