Starbucks and McDonald’s are reducing store hours as workers call in sick

The recent surge in covid-19 cases is exacerbating labor challenges at big US food and coffee chains such as Starbucks, Chipotle, and McDonald’s, all of which have struggled to hire and retain workers throughout the pandemic. As a result, restaurants are cutting hours—again. McDonald’s has reduced hours by 10%, on average, at some 13,000 US locations due to the shortage of workers, CEO Chris Kempczinski said last week in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.