A Suffolk-based coffee company has received more than 250 applicants for six roles - bucking the trend of the hospitality jobs crisis.

Paddy & Scott's, which has its HQ at Ipswich waterfront, is growing its team with new recruits across its Suffolk cafes.

Jon Reed, MD at Paddy & Scott's, said they were blown away by the calibre of people wanting to join the business, with more than 250 "strong" applicants for the six barista roles on offer. And they are about to advertise for a seventh.

Due to reasons including Covid and Brexit there has been a shortage of applicants for hospitality jobs vacancies, prompting the launch of a campaign featuring Suffolk's Michelin-starred restaurant Pea Porridge.

The Office for National Statistics said last month that hospitality businesses are more than twice as likely as other industries to be experiencing challenges in filling posts.

Mr Reed said it was about taking a fun and engaging approach to attract applicants and, with the number of UK job vacancies at a record high, it was important for businesses to stand out and sell themselves.

He said: "It’s all about how you engage people and offering a great experience to everyone that interacts with us; that's job ads, interviews, right through to how you reject or hire people.

"If you do it right, word spreads, and that makes a big difference to our reputation as a great employer, even during a so-called recruitment crisis.”

East Anglian Daily Times: Pascal and Karine Canevet of award-winning Maison Bleue still need to fill a couple of vacancies, which is impacting on the number of covers they can doPascal and Karine Canevet of award-winning Maison Bleue still need to fill a couple of vacancies, which is impacting on the number of covers they can do (Image: Lucy Taylor)

However, award-winning fine dining restaurant Maison Bleue, in Bury St Edmunds, is struggling to fill a couple of roles, for chef and front-of-house positions.

Maison Bleue's chef patron, Pascal Canevet, said for them the situation "is not improving," adding they are currently doing 15-20 covers less than if they had a full team of staff.

"What Paddy & Scott's are saying is quite positive, but the situation is different for fine dining," he said. "We are looking for front-of-house and kitchen staff. We have four agencies working for us and we don't get any CVs coming through."

He said when applicants did come forward they did not have the experience, knowledge or qualifications for the roles.

Like Paddy & Scott's, the Maldon Grey pub in Sudbury has also seen an influx of applicants for roles there.

Beckie Bayliss, who runs the pub with husband Tony, said they had had more than 100 applicants, and that was just through advertising on Facebook.

They have now employed 13 people and aren't looking for any more currently.