Boise's Kanak Attack set back by labor shortage: 'Really hurts us'

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The Kanak food truck is like a luau on wheels, serving tasty Hawaiian dishes to hungry folks around town.

It's connected to the Kanak Kitchen on the fourth floor of the Boise Plaza, a restaurant and catering business that's been around for two decades.

The Kanak Attack, as the eatery ensemble is known, thrives on gatherings, weddings and such, which, of course, were few and far between in the first year of the pandemic.

But as the economy opens up, owner Mike Mohica says employees are scarce, not gatherings.

"There's just so much demand for events and we can't take on all these events," said Mohica. "(The labor shortage) really hurts us. We do thirty or forty events a week but we have to turn down ten to fifteen a week simply because we can't staff them."

At the Kanak Attack, the need for employees is acute.

"Pre Covid we were close to 100 employees," Mohica said. "Now we're just thirteen. It is brutal. We'd like to get 30 or 40 employees."

Catering manager Sarah Schoeppach says Kanak Attack advertises for help wanted everywhere they can.

"We just really need hard workers," Schoeppach said. "We get a few applications a week. We'll call and set up appointments for interviews and then they just don't show up. It's weird, you know."

The Kanak Attack is a diverse food delivery enterprise which even has a food truck designed to go to base camps and feed firefighters during fire season.

But Mike Mohica says he's not discouraged.

"I'm not at all discouraged." he said. "I like the demand we're seeing. And I think employees will come back to the work force. That's what I'm hoping for."

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