The long-awaited Zoë had its soft opening by way of a party last Wednesday at which an appreciative crowd gobbled down shrimps, lemon tarts and lots of pizza. The pizza was terrific-light and flavorful- and Zoë’s homemade crackers made their debut. the lemon tarts were the hit of the evening and there were some very interesting snacks made of tiny baked potatoes. Much wine and beer was consumed and everyone had a good time. Among those present were Joel Mielke and Lynn Harvey and former Eureka City Councilperson Mike Newman.
This week Marsa Jordan, the proprietor, advised us she’s STILL HIRING so tell any fine-dining-experienced jobseekers you know to send their resumé to Marsa at http://zoe2850fst@gmail.com. No firm opening date until she’s staffed, so hurry!
Now, I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but there was an interesting Facebook post the other day (the first in history!) in which someone from the new 6th and Eatery (owned by the same folks who have the Humboldt Soup Company) reported that a couple of days before Christmas, they had actually had to close down in the afternoon because three of their six kitchen staffers had called in sick. I KNOW everyone’s has been sick lately and I have NO idea what labor relations are like at the 6th and Eatery but it made me start thinking . We now have a minimum wage of $10 an hour, which is almost worth showing up to work for. I wonder what the impact of the new wage will be on absenteeism? Eight hours at the old $6.75 wage amounted to a big fat $54 less deductions; that’s a lot less than $80 less deductions. Losing $80 from your paycheck HURTS!! These increases have been tough for the employers but we’re a lot closer to living wages than we were. I’ll be curious to see how long it takes Marsa to fill her jobs. The last thing we need in Humboldt County is a labor shortage.
Finally, Sean from the Diver Bar- just down the block from Zoë – reports that they are making progress, working on the floors etc. and occasionally post progress reports on their Facebook page. He’s looking for an opening date NLT the end of February. Watch this space!!
END