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2 hours ago

O’Connor’s reopens following multi-day closure due to staff shortage

Photo | Timothy Doyle O'Connor's Restaurant in Worcester

Prominent Worcester eatery O’Connor’s Restaurant & Bar reopened on Thursday, after posting on social media on Saturday that it would close temporarily due to staffing shortages.

The prominent Worcester restaurant at 1160 West Boylston St. reopened for its regular hours at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a Facebook post by the eatery on Wednesday. The person who answered the phone at O’Connor’s said the restaurant will now resume its regular hours, after the staff shortage prompted the business to only be open for events for the last few days of April.

“Our team is ready to welcome you with a warm smile and a cold drink,” reads the Facebook post on the company’s page.

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.

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.

The restaurant’s regular hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Monday through Wednesday.

O’Connor’s will resume having live music on Thursday nights, with Cory Knapp the featured performer on Thursday.

Brad Kane is editor of Worcester Business Journal.

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