Very Popular Restaurant in Eastern Iowa Closes With No Notice

That's it, we're closed! The end... not many businesses shut down with little to no warning and a simple post on Facebook, but a historic and popular NE Iowa restaurant has done just that.

The White House Supper Club in St. Lucas is no more after an abrupt post on the eateries Facebook page early yesterday, Monday, morning.

The post simply reads, in all caps, "CLOSED PERMANENTLY!" While no reason is given in the body of the post, within the comments of the story, the restaurant claimed staffing, or lack thereof, to be the reason for the suddenness of the restaurant shutting down.

Boasting a menu heavy on comfort food and delicious steaks, White House Supper Club is the latest victim of the fallout of the COVID pandemic as many businesses are struggling to find a suitable amount of workers.

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St. Lucas has a population of only 129 according to the 2020 census. Because it's located in a more urban portion of Northeast Iowa, it's likely there aren't a lot of residents available to work.

This issue is far from limited to rural communities. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that 2022 will see another major worker shortage, that will force businesses to close either temporarily, or permanently as the White House Supper Club has done.

Many places are offering incentives such as a sign-on bonus, but for smaller locally owned businesses like White House Supper Club, these aren't feasible options.

With this worker shortage in mind, it's certainly likely customers will have to be patient with some establishments and attractions this summer.