“When he did find workers, many did not stick around long.”
This is normal.
My brother runs and owns 3 restaurants in a certain city. Eateries have a high turnover rate, and if you think you can run everything efficiently in an office, you’re wrong. It’s already a given that one employee on average will quit or no-show in a month. Heck, it’s also a given they will steal something.
Neighbor canceled his lease and built his own pizza/italian place.
He can’t even hire. Dudes fill out application for unemployment benefits and never show up for interview.