The Monday Morning Line

BOCA RATON — It's hard to find good help these days, es­pecially in the hospitality busi­ness.

So after years of running a free referral business, restau­rant broker Tom Prakas had an idea: Create a hospitality re­cruitment firm.

Working with Ken Spahn, an attorney and food critic, Prakas says Restaurant Placement Group will draw from their contacts in the restaurant industry. 

Prakas said he gets many requests from chefs and manag­ers wanting to know of eateries coming to the market. He also gets requests from restaurant owners needing staff.

The need for  experienced staff is acute, especially with the dramatic increase in South Flor­ida restaurants. Hiring skilled personnel "is probably the para­mount problem in the industry," Prakas said. "It's hard to find tal­ented, dedicated people to work. I have restaurateurs telling me that one of the reasons they can't open for lunch is they can't find enough dedicated workers to staff the place. It's a real labor shortage."

Plans are under way for other services, such as a restaurant operations consulting division.

Prakas said the business complements his existing bro­kerage, The Prakas Group, based in Boca Raton.

Email The Prakas Group