A stifling worker shortage threatens Nashville's recovery NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In downtown Nashville, honky-tonks rattle back to life, peddle taverns crowd the streets and bartenders can’t pour fast enough. Popular Searches The post-pandemic business boom arrived as expected. But one big, unexpected challenge stands in the way of a full recovery: There aren’t enough workers to keep up with a national surge in demand. “I’m working in the kitchen today,” said restaurant and bar owner Barrett Hobbs, who ordinarily spends his days filing paperwork. “We don’t have enough cooks to pull off a normal lunch, My family has owned businesses here since the ’50s and none of us have ever seen anything like this.”