BATON ROUGE – A restaurant manager said a sign chastising employees who did not show up for their shift was meant as a joke to help disgruntled customers understand why food orders were taking so long.

“Please be patient with us today. There will be a wait. Most of our employees are trash and don’t come to work. Please be nice to the ones that do,” the sign reported in a written greeting to customers near the entrance of the eatery in Perkins Rowe this week.

Amid smiley faces, was a note that the restaurant was looking for more help: “If you need a job, we are 100% hiring lol.”

"This speaks volumes about where we are today," someone posted in a message sharing the sign on Facebook Wednesday.  

The bizarre sign at the Baton Rouge restaurant has since been removed.

Joke or not, the sign shows the stress level of many front-line workers and bosses who have struggled to remain open, keep employees and customers healthy and deal with less staff.

Some are still not comfortable working in close quarters amid the ongoing health crisis while some businesses have found it hard to bring people back as federal unemployment subsidies added money to unemployment checks. Federal assistance has now ended, though.

Restaurants have been hit particularly hard.

Thursday, federal authorities said people seeking unemployment assistance rose; Unemployment is at 8.4% nationally, according to an Associated Press report.

Earlier this summer, Baton Rouge General reported doctors were concerned about an increase in mental health visits, likely from ongoing COVID-19 fears and anxieties. 

The Louisiana Department of Health has also launched a Behavioral Health Recovery Outreach Line where individuals can find real-time support to avoid, prevent or intercept a crisis from occurring. That number is 1-833-333-1132.

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