Dan Winkley
Everyone in Salisbury is delighted that managers Dan Winkley and John Ciliberto have been able to restore the White Hart Inn to its traditional role as a lively hub in the center of town.
Dan says that “running a successful inn and restaurant is all about building relationships with our customers by offering high-quality service in a professional, welcoming environment. A steady, reliable workforce is crucial to fulfilling this mission. One of the most serious challenges we face is finding people to fill skilled, full-time positions. People with the right experience often live as far away as Albany, New York City, Danbury or even Miami. In considering a job offer they find they would need to commute long distances because they are unable to find local housing they can afford. This makes recruitment of these employees very difficult. To attract and retain them we need to offer better health benefits and paid vacations than would be necessary in areas with more housing options. This adds to our operating costs”.
Their young, seasonal employees usually live at home with their families. The rest live in towns as far away as Torrington and New Milford.
He says, “If people don’t already live here the commute is daunting. The very limited rental market is mostly for whole homes and too expensive. Some homes are only available seasonally or are turned into Air B’n’Bs, which reduces the number of homes available for local workers. Rentals are needed for staff who cannot afford a home purchase as well as for more senior people coming for a new job so they have the time to see how it goes before making a commitment to purchase.”
After marrying recently, Dan and his wife spent months looking for a home to purchase in the area. Even with two professional salaries, they could not find anything in Salisbury in their price range that didn’t “need a ton of work.” They ultimately bought a home in Cornwall.
More reasonably priced housing options would definitely help the White Hart’s business and enable young people to stay in town, adding to Salisbury’s economic and cultural vitality.
This article was published in The Lakeville Journal on 8/8/19.