By Dave Solomon, Business NH Magazine
Tom Boucher (pictured) is a bit of an outlier in the restaurant business these days. The CEO and owner of Great NH Restaurants may be one of the few restaurateurs who sees a silver lining in the workforce crisis that’s reshaping the industry.
“The industry has expanded and exploded in recent years to the point where it became oversaturated,” he says. “You saw some close because of the pandemic; you will see more close because they can’t get employees. It will bring back down the number of restaurants so things will get a little more normalized. You’re not going to need as many workers because there won’t be as many restaurants. It’s an industry correction. It needed it.”
Boucher’s company operates widely recognized brands throughout the state, including T-Bones, CJ’s, Cactus Jack’s and Copper Door.
“Take the Manchester market alone,” he adds. “Our most challenging location, revenue-wise, is CJ’s Great West Grill in Manchester because there are just so many dining seats downtown. A Popeye’s opened on South Willow Street, and people say they aren’t a competitor but they are.”
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