EASTHAMPTON — Holyoke resident Jennifer Adams is just one of the many who have enjoyed the American comfort food served at Riff’s Joint Restaurant since it opened 14 years ago.

She remembers Riff’s being the last place she and her husband frequented just before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown began.

“If it was the last place I had to be before COVID shut everything down, I wasn’t sad about it,” said Adams.

Now, after 14 years as a staple of Easthampton dining, staffing shortages are forcing Riff’s Joint to close its doors on Sept. 4.

Co-owner Tammy Lyman said the closure comes after several years of difficulty finding employees, primarily cooks, which has been a particular struggle over the past year.

“The restaurant industry, cooking, just isn’t the highest of interest right now,” Lyman said in an interview at the restaurant Friday afternoon. “And in this type of environment, we’re fast paced, high volume, and it’s hard work.”

An outpouring of community members have expressed sadness at the news since owners made the announcement last Thursday in a Facebook post.

“My truffle fry and rodeo burger lovin’ heart is shattered,” commented Steph Martin on the post.

The post has since received over 430 comments and nearly 600 shares from regular customers, former employees, and other community members who reminisced on fond memories and good food. 

And already, community members have flooded the restaurant for one final bite off the menu, which includes sandwiches, — or “Riffwiches” — burgers, fries, burritos, quesadillas, tacos, pizzas and more.

“Everything they have is the best that you could do with that,” said Margaret Molloy, who drove in from Haydenville last Friday to enjoy an autumn beet salad.

In the past, Riff’s would have eight cooks working during a meal, in addition to two prep cooks. The restaurant has just four cooks for its last week in business after two people left for college and another two worked their last shift on Sunday.

“We knew about this, but we have not been able to draw in any applicants,” Lyman said, adding that Riff’s pays between $18 and $25 per hour, and offers a 401k plan, paid vacation time and sick days.

Riff’s is not alone. Since 2021, the food services have had the highest quit rate of any industry, at above 4.9% consistently, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Many of those people quit in search of a job with higher pay, improved work-life balance and higher flexibility.

Moreover, a National Restaurant Association report showed that at the beginning of 2023, 62% of restaurant operators didn’t have the staff to meet demand, while 80% reported difficulty filling open positions.

“It’s going to be pretty hard for us to try to even make it through next week,” said Lyman. “We’re going to do the best we can.”

On Thursday night, so many people showed up for one last meal at Riff’s that Lyman said they had to close early.

“People came in droves… It was like a wave,” she said. “We couldn’t take any more business and we had to close early… And even the people that had been waiting outside for 45 minutes, they were like, ‘it’s okay, we understand.’”

Lyman said the outpouring of support has been emotional.

“I just couldn’t help reading [Facebook comments] and the tears are rolling down my face,” she said, as “Reminiscing” by Little River Band appropriately played over the restaurant’s speakers. “We never really thought it would come to this.”

The history of Riff’s Joint

According to an earlier Gazette article, owners Richard Lyman and Michael McCarthy originally opened Riff’s Joint on Union Street in late 2009. Three years later, they moved to the Eastworks Building on Pleasant Street, and opened an adjoining bar, The Hideaway.

“When we took the leap to come here, [Eastworks], we just basically exploded,” said Tammy Lyman, who is Richard Lyman’s wife.

Over the years, Lyman said she and other staff have made countless memories, whether they be watching kids grow up, to observing graduations and birthdays, to even being a part of a wedding proposal.

The team eventually opened another restaurant, Riff’s North in Turners Falls, which was open for six years until facing similar labor market challenges in 2021, forcing the location to close even while business boomed.

“Every day there’s something cool going on that customers share with us,” said Lyman. “We are very sad and it’s going to be a big adjustment.”

They also own Myers Catering Company, also located in Eastworks, which designs and caters food for “sit down dinners, full service buffets for thousands, and any part in between,” according to the company’s website. The catering company has been around since 1987, and shows no signs of slowing down.

For now, Lyman said the Riff’s Joint space is for sale and the goal is to find another restaurant to take its place.

“But the restaurant world right now, because of staffing, people are not chomping at the bit to buy a restaurant,” Lyman said.

Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com or on Twitter @MaddieFabian.]]>