For months now, Maine’s coastal towns have been packed with visitors — a welcome bounce-back for a hospitality industry that was reeling last year. But the return of tourists hasn’t been all good for restaurant workers, who say they’ve had to deal with contentious customers, some challenging health protocols such as mask and vaccine mandates.…

Shelly-Anne Storer’s first job after moving to New Hampshire was at an assisted living facility in Concord, and though she spent long hours cooking and serving food to residents, there were parts she enjoyed. “I loved finding out what their favorite things were, so I knew exactly what to bring to their table,” she says.…

At the Waterhouse Restaurant in southwestern New Hampshire, soft shell crabs were on the lunch menu and business was brisk. But General Manager Linda Quintanilha said she can’t fully re-open the restaurant in Peterborough because she can’t find enough staff. “Half the patio is closed and half the dining room is closed,” Quintanilha said. New…

Eddie Morán’s loved tacos for as long as he can remember. “They’re simple, easy and fast,” Morán says. He even has a taco tattoo on his left wrist. At his restaurant, Lalo’s Taqueria in Lebanon, he makes food that’s pretty (and Instagrammable), locally-sourced and affordable. At lunch time, pop music plays as customers check out…