There’s been no shortage of shortages.
As the restaurant industry is working to recover from the pandemic, it’s still being hit with new struggles. According to a new report, a major fast-food chain is facing a shortage of bags.
McDonald’s is facing a bag shortage due to pressures in the industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over the past year, the majority of restaurants across the country saw most of the business coming from take-out or delivery orders, which required them to use more bags than usual.
About 81% of restaurant business was take out or delivery over the past 12 months, Yahoo Finance reports. During the prior year, it was just 18%.
In a statement obtained by Fox Business, a spokesperson for McDonald’s said, “Despite temporary pressures in the industry, the impact to restaurants is minimal. Based on what we know today, we are confident customers should not see disruption to supply of bags or straws. We will continue to watch closely.”
As restaurant dining rooms across the country are reopening, McDonald’s workers are serving more orders on trays. McDonald’s policy is to serve in-store meals on trays. The increase in tray service is not connected to issues with the supply of bags.
According to the Wall Street Journal, some restaurants have reported issues with workers who haven’t had to serve orders on trays before. New employees hired during the past year would likely have served primarily to-go orders and transitioning back to trays is reportedly more difficult than expected.
