Bay Area Burger Co. restaurant to close temporarily due to staffing issues | Streetwise

GREEN BAY — Bay Area Burger Co., a popular smash burger restaurant at 126 S. Broadway, closed temporarily due to lack of staff.

Cole Ductan, the owner of the restaurant, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, that the restaurant had "been hanging on by the edge for a while" and the quality and standards were impacted. Currently the restaurant needs cooks, servers, bartenders and a general manager.

During a phone interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Ductan said it's always hard to find staff in the industry and since the pandemic, it has been even more difficult. He has been struggling to find and keep "quality staff" for the past six months.

"Over the past year I've had problems with staff," he said. "Multiple staff members I caught stealing, charging customer tips and pocketing cash tables."

Ductan said he has been working on other projects and hasn't been able to be at the restaurant full-time. He had been looking for a general manager to be on top of the staff but couldn't find one.

"I hit a breaking point when I came in this weekend and there were dirty sinks, no tables wiped out," he said. "I had warned the staff but all that's on me. I take the responsibility."

Ductan started Bay Area Burger Co. as a food truck in the winter of 2020. After a successful start he leased the former Monzu Bakery space and remodel it. He opened the restaurant in January of 2023.

As a chef, his vision was always to work with a general manager that could lead the staff. He started with one back in 2023 but that didn't work out for long.

He said the restaurant will remain closed until he can be there full-time to make sure everything is done properly and quality standards can be met or he finds a good person that can take on a managerial role.

Both the food truck and restaurant are popular for its smash burger: a burger patty that is smashed between two pounds of cast iron and topped with American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, mayo and mustard on a golden brioche bun.

Ductan said he will continue to operate the food truck with the original staff and will be participating in food truck rallies and other events.

The food truck will still operate at the Farmers Market on Broadway, starting on May 22.

Those interested in applying for a job can email at events@bayareaburger.com, or send a message via the Facebook page.

Ariel Perez is a business reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach him at APerez1@gannett.com or view his Twitter profile at @Ariel_Perez85.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bay Area Burger Co. closes temporarily due to staffing issues