Door County is a booming tourist destination for visitors in- and out-of-state but work visa issues are causing worker shortages on the peninsula, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Places like Salute Mexican Lounge in Egg Harbor have faced such a shortage of employees that it had to close on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Federal government processing delays of H-2B visas, which allow people from foreign countries to work seasonally, have posed issues for not only restaurants, but a local grocery store as well.
A Door County mainstay, the Main Street Market in Egg Harbor, has not been able to extend into its summer hours.
“It has been excruciating because our H-2B visa people haven’t been here,” Jaime Blossom, the front-of-the-house manager at the wildly popular Swedish restaurant, Al Johnson’s, told the outlet. “That’s literally crippling.”
Door County immigration lawyer Glenn Mandel said visa processing has been worse than in previous years.
To put the economic problem into better perspective, Kim Jensen, who owns four businesses in Egg Harbor including Salute Mexican Lounge, said closing a restaurant’s doors for one day can cost $50,000 a month.
The visa issue is expected to hamper businesses well into summer.
