When Covid-19 hit Georgia in March 2020, the Atlanta Breakfast Club closed its doors to in-person dining for weeks on end. Since it reopened, diners have flocked back for hefty servings of their famous chicken and waffles. On weekends, the brunch spot is now so busy that it boasts four-hour waiting times for a table.

Owners Osiris Ballard and chef Anthony Sanders have since expanded beyond the original location. In September 2020, they launched a counter-service offshoot and last year they resurrected a shuttered neighbourhood staple owned by another restaurateur.

The biggest hurdle they face is no longer finding customers but the staff to make and serve the food. The grand opening of another branch of the restaurant, scheduled for this summer, will add more pressure to the hunt for chefs, general managers and other staff at a time of fierce competition for workers in one of the tightest labour markets in the US.