A Liverpool chef has warned it is "vital" easing on June 21 is not delayed so venues can return to profitability and the sector can continue to grow.
Paul Askew, chef patron of The Art School restaurant and joint-chair of Liverpool Hospitality Association, said it is now "vital" the June 21 easing of all Covid restrictions is not delayed.
Speaking BusinessLive, he said: "We've had three weeks of absolutely incredible demand and incredible desire to eat out. I can't stress enough how grateful we are and how fantastic it is to see people back in the dining rooms.
"But without the staff and the recruitment, I think we have to look at changing the immigration law.
"My idea of what they were hoping to achieve through the immigration law was immigration based on the demand and based on the need of the country. So when there was a need for qualified people, like there was in the NHS, nurses came from all over the world.
"I would hope that the government can now see that it's incredibly urgent and that we absolutely incentivize hospitality professionals from across Europe to come here.
"There is a genuine shortage, a genuine need - and it doesn't look like the British workers are going to come back because we've seen a migration from hospitality into logistics, into Amazon, into telesales, into delivery drivers.
"That's because we're now perceived as a high risk sector because of the way we've been treated through the lockdowns.
"People need job security, they need to be able to put food on the table and unfortunately, that sort of middle management supervisory level where there were quite a lot of British staff as well as European staff, has vanished."
Mr Askew is now fearful for the future of many Liverpool restaurants, and said: "We know that Liverpool's food, drink and hospitality scene has absolutely rocketed over the last 10 or 15 years, and we've now reached a point where 48% of everything we do in Liverpool is the visitor economy and hospitality businesses.
"You could argue it is the dominant industry now, and certainly the highest employer in the city.
"But if we can't get staff, and we can't get back to normal on June 21, which was supposed to be the irreversible roadmap that we all bought into, you are going to see more distress in the industry."
He said to not go ahead with the June 21 date "would be hugely damaging", adding: "From what I've seen, the figures of hospitalisation, because of more than half of the population having been vaccinated, is virtually zero. It's flatlining.
"So, in my opinion, what is the point? What is the value of vaccinations, if we're not now allowed to open up the economy, learn to live with it and get on with it?"
He said the LHA has around 180 members - and he "can't name one that isn't recruiting".
But he said they are facing difficulties including low levels of applicants and low-quality applications, with others reporting people not turning up for trial shifts.
He said: "It's the perfect storm to be honest, that's where we're at.
"We've got more customers than we could ever imagine and ever dream of, with all the pent-up demand, and we're very grateful for that, it's a fantastic thing, because we need that desperately.
"But we're in a terrible position where we can't really deliver all of the bookings that we want to because we're going have to start capping bookings or closing an extra day."
While a full reopening on June 21 will mean more customers, fully-relaxed Covid restrictions will mean less labour-intensive cleaning is needed, providing the potential for enhanced profitability.
He also revealed a handful of restaurants in Liverpool had, as reported in other parts of the country, been "poaching" staff from fellow businesses - an act he described as "quite despicable".
He said: "I won't name names, but I have heard of these things happening in Liverpool as well. Unfortunately, this is the sort of thing that happens when people are desperate.
"It's hard enough trying to recruit and build your team normally, but then to go to a colleague's restaurant and start waving the chequebook around and taking members of staff who've had their head turned - it's no different to a football agent, whispering in somebody's ear.
"Loyalty is a massive thing in all walks of life, but you can see how a young professional who's been offered another £5,000, £10,000 a year, is going to have his or her head turned.
"It's just so disruptive. I think it's so damaging and it can tip a business over the edge.
"I always say if you're going to open a business, then recruit yourself, build your own family, build your own culture, build your own training programme, and do it that way. That should build loyalty and longevity anyway."
