SO they can’t get staff for hotels, or chefs, in York (The Press, August 19).

This does not surprise me in the slightest.

Chefs are like the rest of us. They want to be sitting down with their friends or families enjoying the meal, not making it.

The hospitality trade has unsociable hours and not very high wages. This is a system correcting itself.

I know of a chef who packed his job in and came driving a taxi. He got up early in the morning to start his shift making the breakfast and then had to go home and sit around all day before going out at 4.30pm to prepare the kitchens for the evening meals.

Businesses have always got to expand. Why can’t they be content with 500 hotels nationwide, instead of wanting to have 750?

They open restaurants and then can’t find staff to work their low-paid unsociable hours.

The multinationals should do their homework first and find out if there is a task force available to employ.

I am sure many York residents won’t have much sympathy with some of these outlets if they can’t get staff to run these businesses and it stops others from opening in the city as there are enough hotels and restaurants which is spoiling the balance of businesses and shops in and around York.

W Harrison, St Oswalds Road, York