Chef Creole Responds to Argument That Americans Could Fill the Jobs

A reporter asked Chef Creole, also known as Wilinson Ken Sejour, about the argument that the jobs in question could have been filled by American workers.

Sejour rejected that argument, saying his experience in the restaurant industry has been that he struggles to find Americans willing to take service-industry jobs. He said four workers had recently left and questioned how many American applicants were actually seeking those positions.

Sejour argued that the difficulty finding workers has made him pessimistic about expanding his businesses. He said he does not see Americans lining up to work at Chef Creole and claimed other business owners in the industry have expressed similar experiences.

He also suggested that some American workers have greater financial freedom to leave jobs or take time to find another position, which he contrasted with workers who may feel they have fewer options.

Sejour’s unchanged quote:

“My biggest issue in this industry is the Americans just don’t wanna work. They don’t, especially the service industry. If that was the case, why would I be in terror in my mind and so pessimistic about opening more businesses when all of this is coming to light? There ain’t no long lines with Americans saying, ‘I wanna come work at Chef Creole.’ There isn’t.”