Why is there downfall of chefs?

Why is there downfall of chefs?

The pandemic has had a wholehearted profound impact on the restaurant industry, with chefs seeing a long-term decline in staffing levels. Businesses have been struggling to stay afloat, and those that have survived are facing new challenges.

 

The restaurant industry is in a state of decline. Chefs are out of work, and the service industry as a whole is struggling. This pandemic has irrevocably changed the culinary landscape. Many restaurants have closed their doors for good, and those that remain open are doing so under very different conditions. So what led to this decline, and how can it be reversed? In this post, we will explore the factors that have contributed to the downfall of chefs and restaurants. We will also look at some potential solutions to this problem.

 

One of the key reasons for the restaurant staffing shortage is the decline of chefs. Chefs play a critical role in the restaurant industry, and when they are out of work, it has a domino effect throughout the entire sector. So what led to the decline of chefs, and how can it be reversed?

 

There are several factors that have lead to the downfall of chefs and restaurants. The first is the rise of online food delivery services. These services have taken away business from brick-and-mortar restaurants, as people can now order food from home without having to leave their couches. The second factor is the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has rammed the restaurant industry, as many restaurants have been forced to close their doors. The third factor is wage stagnation making it impossible to have livable wages. A living wage for restaurant workers has not kept up with inflation, which has made it harder for restaurants to attract and retain employees and expect labor shortages to continue. The Forth factor is a saying in the restaurant job and you will always have a job in any state of the economy. That trust was broken when the restaurant closed for a week to months having cooks and chefs, for the first time in their life, have to claim unemployment. This, as a result, got cooks and chefs to change industries sooner. That intends to happen in their 30s but happened sooner, don't expect it to come back. It's going to take years unless hourly wages rise dramatically.

 

Why can't we find chefs?

Companies are lazy. They add a filter in places where people find jobs, like indeed.com using keywords. What does this keyword do? Let's say the job seeker doesn't have a rich vocabulary. They put down customers, and chefs put down clients or prospects on their resume. The job post they applied for will scan the resume, and if it doesn't have words like customers as an example, it will not reach real a person and be tossed aside when in fact, they just drop their best employee and they didn't even know it only to increase labor cost long term. Big brands and restaurant operators are still saying there is a worker shortage. Perhaps look at your process?

 

Why does such a thing exist? Saving time over 300 or 1000 people applying for jobs is lazy behavior. Short time saves and labor but long term? Chefs that don't know, you have to use websites like tagcrowd.com to scrap the keywords from the job posting and use jobscan.com to scan your resume to rewrite it to get pass the filters so you can get in person or zoom.

 

As a chef that has experienced recruiters, they don't know our industry nor many other industries, and it is not their fault they are great at talking with people and human behavior! they don't know the keywords or slang chefs use in a resume, sure you can use my perfectresume.com but I didn't receive a single reply, and I have worked at 3 types of Michelin star in my career, and that's a terrible flaw!

My network? Were the ones getting me interviews? What happens to those that don't have a network? You are forcing them to leave the industry, and that's why it's long-term plain stupid, and no one is talking about thanks to work source informing with the solutions.

A shift is happening and it's having restaurants worried

I'll tell you why I am happy this is happening. It means we chefs that have survived 2020 and 2021 will be able to change the cooking industry and be pioneers in things that need to change.

In the cooking industry, people are so unaware my video that went viral of my reaction to The Bear

Many people had the mindset when they watched that scene they didn't think it was real and had comments saying that this is why they left the industry people are not ready for the truth customers, managers, and restaurant operators are the problems people are no longer willing to take abuse to bad behavior.

 

There is no definitive study that can say with certainty that customers have become nastier in 2022. However, there are a number of anecdotal reports that suggest this is the case. For example, restaurant workers have reported that customers are more likely to yell at them, make unreasonable demands, and even throw food or drinks at them. Some restaurant owners have even said that they have had to hire security guards to deal with unruly customers.

 

There is no definitive solution that can stop unruly customers in the food industry. However, there are a number of measures restaurant owners can take to try and mitigate the problem. Some of these measures include:

 

- Hiring security guards to deal with unruly customers

- Training employees on how to deal with difficult customers

- Having a zero-tolerance policy for bad behavior

- Making sure restaurant policies are clearly communicated to customers

- Encouraging customers to leave feedback about their dining experience

 

The lifestyle of the Food Industry

  • The work can be very hard, and it is often difficult to find a job in the restaurant industry. That is why it is important to reinvest in training and development programs for chefs. These programs can help equip chefs with the skills they need to succeed in the restaurant industry. The second step is to raise wages for restaurant workers. This will make it easier for restaurants to attract and retain talented employees. The third step is to support small businesses and independent restaurants. These businesses are the backbone of the restaurant industry, and they need our help in order to survive.
  • Many restaurant workers have left the industry because the compensation just is not that good. Wages have not kept up with inflation, and restaurant workers often still do not receive benefits such as health insurance or paid vacation days. Additionally, the hours can be very long and unpredictable. This makes it difficult for restaurant workers to plan for the future or to take care of their families. The restaurant industry is in crisis, and we need to take action to address the chef shortage and revive the restaurant industry.
  • Employee feedback is important for restaurant owners to understand. Restaurant workers often have ideas about how to improve the restaurant industry. Employee feedback can help restaurant owners understand the needs of their employees and how to address those needs. Additionally, employee feedback can help restaurant owners identify problems in the restaurant industry and find solutions. For many of us as chefs, listening doesn't happen, and for once, we can finally make the change. They don't have control anymore.

What the pandemic showed is they had no idea what they were doing. They didn't stop to think. They just reacted closed for weeks and months, or forever. Many of us that went through 2020 took a moment and realized people still need to eat. What can we do? What are our options to keep people safe? The consequence broke the trust of being a stable job.

  • In order to be truly creative, you need to be introspective. That means looking within yourself, exploring your own thoughts and feelings, and understanding your own motivations and desires. It also means being straight with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses and recognizing your own limitations.

Summary

The bottom line is that there is a chef shortage, the restaurant industry is in crisis, and we need to take action to address these problems. We need to invest in programs for chefs, raise wages for restaurant workers, and support small businesses and independent restaurants that need to change how they serve customers now. Additionally, we need to encourage customers to leave feedback about their dining experience. This will help restaurant owners understand the needs of their employees and customers, and it will help identify problems in the restaurant industry.

Posted by
Nicolas Ganea
December 3, 2022

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