Restaurant Staff Shortages Are Easing in US Labor-Market Shift

The staffing shortages that bedeviled US restaurants and fast-food chains throughout the pandemic are finally starting to abate.

National chains including Del Taco Restaurants Inc., Portillo’s Inc. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. say it’s getting easier to find employees, with their staffing at or above pre-Covid levels. Across the country, employment at food and drinking places is quickly approaching what it was in early 2020, Labor Department figures show.

The turnaround signals a major shift for the US labor market — and a significant boost for foodservice providers, which struggled to bring workers back after layoffs in 2020. For now, ...