They litter the American landscape far and wide and have become quintessentially synonymous with the foodservice industry, the forever NOW HIRING sign.
As of this publishing, there is more media focus on the “shortage” of workers then there has ever been previously, some even dubbing it “The Great American Resignation”. If we wade through the theories and propaganda, the main questions still remained unanswered:
What happened to the workers? Why is the country SO short handed on labor? Let’s see if we can nail down a few answers that I know to be true, through experience (we will be focusing on foodservice today with the understanding that we all know that the labor shortage is unilaterally across all segments of the labor market). As a 37 year veteran of the industry (of all foodservice arenas: hotels, airlines, sports, conventions, restaurants, ISD, etc…) I can tell you that this is some of the hardest and most underappreciated work there is.
What makes it so hard? A combination of things, the pay for one is absolutely atrocious, most customers are entitled, demanding, horrible, evil, maniacal, self centered jerks (for those that know me, please insert the language I usually use here and for the rest of you, just go with it) with a massive superiority complex ever seen. Moving on…
So we have the pay, the customers, and now we have the management. Which, in most parts, are worse than the customers. Irregular schedules, constant phone calls/texts trying to call you in on your day off with threats of being fired, mandatory overtime, 12 to 16 our days, forcing you to work you off the clock, getting yelled/screamed at on the daily, emotional abuse and yes, in a few cases, physical abuse. Most recently in a restaurant in a neighboring town that involves a drunk owner who regularly went after his line cooks with fists.
Moving on… there are many other factors BUT, all of this for a really crappy wage (pre-pandemic was around $11 to $14 per hour for line cook/$9 to $11 for a fast food employee) with no benefits, rarely a chance for any advancement, a super crappy annual raise (25 to 75 cents per hour, usually), horribly hot (above 120℉ with at best, limited air conditioning/swap cooler/or nothing at all), dirty, unsafe (owners being cheap and fixing their own electrical resulting in workers getting shocked (very true, I am the one that got zapped)) conditions.
“WHY” you ask? There is an exhaustive list of reasons that people work in restaurants that are described above. Some have been dealt a really crappy hand in life, some have a criminal record that makes them unemployable in most other fields, some have mental health (I am a mental health advocate and activist) issues, some have self esteem so low that they figure this is the only thing they are good for, a few are gaming the system to keep their government benefits, a lot of seniors (because nobody else will hire them) and they need the money so they do not have to choose between food or medicine, sprinkle in first time workers (high school) with a dash of college kids trying to feed themselves because the loans they are taking out barely cover the cost of their schooling, a second job to pay basic living expenses, but for the sit down restaurants, cooks and chefs do it because of their passion for food. The extreme passion for an art that fits no definition, has no boundaries, and is the shining beacon for the misfits of the world.
The kitchen defies all outside parameters, barriers, and definitions to who, and what, you must be. It does not attach “labels” to each worker and you are defined only by your work, galvanized by the greats of our time (and any time, rather) like A.B. inarguably one of the best chefs ever to grace our industry. He brought a face to our grind, the grit, and more or less, defined our industry as a subculture to which we were absolutely honored to be a member of.
We were good for nobody but we were ninjas in the kitchen would have been the common theme as salt ran for blood. The more physical war wounds or battle scars that graced our hands, arms, legs, and head, the more revered you were. All the while sharing tales of being “in the weeds” and overcoming insurmountable odds, often with a result of stellar service and impeccable plates.
A world that traps you and keeps you, until your body gives out, then the industry discards you claiming you are weak and unable to do the simplest task. The stress that killed us off early, the drugs and alcohol that some felt were the only coping mechanisms from the constant battering of management and customers, both sharing the blame equally for their absolute unrealistic expectations of quality, plating, service, and pricing.
Then came the pandemic. The industry that we literally bled over, endured extreme heat, gave the best years of our life to (and proudly so), went to school for (upward of $100k), gave our life to, turned its back on us and threw us out as if we nothing more then yesterdays trash. No help was offered even though we were the ones whos work built the success of the restaurant, both the unit and the company. We were devastated , hurt beyond compare, and absolutely disgusted. The owners, CEO’s, VP’s, and other heads of state were still cashing their checks, but throwing all of our lives in absolute peril was not even an afterthought. We were out of work, our benefits (if any) were suspended, and in the beginning of the pandemic, if you recall, there was NO relief. We were thrown out on the street and left to fend for ourselves after arriving to locked doors and a note on the door. Not even a simple email was sent.
If the industry that discarded us taught us one thing, it is that we can face those insurmountable odds and we can overcome them. Although it was painful, the industry that shunned us, the one we loved so much and for many of us, the only industry we had ever known.
However, the pandemic opened up new avenues for us, we went back to school, found happiness through, what everybody else has known all along, there is a work life balance and it can work. That we can refocus that extreme culinary energy to other fields to much success. That same fortitude, will, desire, passion, and dedication does, and has taken us a long way in our new careers and we have branched out into all fields and into a new life. One that was never possible before. A branch that brings happiness and one we are not willing to give up, nor should we be expected to.
With the labor shortage, employers have relaxed the stringent rules around backgrounds. They have become more flexible with hours, and of course, we get paid much more then we ever did in the kitchen(s). We found ourselves in the normal persons world, no longer the outcasts and misfits. We had become mainstream and you know, it kind of felt good. It gave validation to people who were used to being nothing more than servants. Vindication, that we were worth more than what we thought. Justification that the industry that discarded us, does not deserve us and that it was for the better and an absolution in the most freeing way.
Even though the industry has risen wages to heights we thought we would never see, and it is a good thing, we are damaged. We are insulted, but most of all we are hurt. Even today, the customers and management have not changed, we see it all through almost every social media platform, the constant complaining, whining, and berating of our (now former) fellow workers and it is a horrible thing to watch. Even though there are only two employees in a major chains building, there is little concern nor care for those two people who are trying to make it work. For that I give Kudos to the employees, and for the customers, I send shame.
To the customers I say this, we are no longer your servants and are worth more than you claimed us to be, we were worth no more than minimum wage and you let us know that every single day. We were stupid for not getting your plate or order right out of the hundreds (even thousands) that we did daily. You claimed us to be low life’s for still working in an industry that should only be for high schoolers or college kids, yet we provided tens of millions of customers daily across the country serving your lunch or dinner without fail. Saving you time so you can spend more of that same time with your family(ies) or getting back to work on time. We became instrumental in how you provided food for your family, yet were not even treated as a mere acquaintance, for some, not even a person. You don’t remember all the times you were running late or had a bad day and we were the first people you came across. The snips, comments, insults, slurs, looks, scoffs, and the list goes on… You do remember, don’t you? Why didn’t you just not say anything to the fast food person at the window, or the server, bartender, cook, chef, busboy, host(ess), delivery driver…. Hmmm?
The pandemic allowed to finally take your advice and we did, en masse. I find this a bit amusing that you abused us for a cheap meal when were aplenty, and now that we have gone, your lines are longer and your waiting times are so long that the restaurant senior management have suspended speed of service standards because of the labor shortage. You are unable to sit in a dining room because most are closed and the hours in which you can be served, are in severe flux, and you still….. Still…. have not (and most likely will not) change on how you interact with us. The entire restaurant industry is on the brink of collapse and it is still everybody else’s fault and not yours.
Most might think it is about the tips, or somehow money related, but it is not. It is about dignity and getting robbed of the last shred of it we carry.
We have the opportunity to not return to the verbal abuse, yelling/screaming by the management and the customers, and even now, the physical abuse by the customers. So we will not be returning. We are done and no amount of money you offer can bring us back. We are free.
To that we say this, goodbye. A heartfelt one at that and to the industry we loved so much. The one that will always hold some of our most endearing and powerful memories. That will just have to do.
The 1.5 million, now former, food service workers
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