how critical are these restaurants to the bradley beach community every summer? very critical. and i call it the bookends of bradley beach. on the east, we have the beach, on the west, we have main street. reporter: vic s is the biggest employer in town, with 100 employees during peak season, but right now, the restaurant can t cover 20% of its shifts, even raising hourly wages by $2 for new employees. i just can t get people to come in and to start a new job. why can t you pay more? why can t you offer more incentives? well, if we were to go above and beyond when this all goes away, when the crisis is over, the floor is going to, you know, fall out, and inflation is going to kick in. the customers will have to absorb the cost, and we don t want to do that. reporter: at langosta lounge in nearby asberry park, owner marilyn sloshback is offering