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Restaurant workers quit at record rate

npr.org

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Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#2
> That's because for many, leaving food service had a lot to do also with its high-stress culture: exhausting work, unreliable hours, no benefits and so many rude customers.

I didn't realize that rude customers was that widespread.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#3
post #2

> That's because for many, leaving food service had a lot to do also with its high-stress culture: exhausting work, unreliable hours, no benefits and so many rude customers. I didn't realize that rude customers was that widespread.

I suppose you just need that one clown to come in and ruin your day. The odds are stacked against you.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#4
The restaurant industry has known the solution for a long time but everyone wants to pretend it would be too difficult.

Stop the tipping guilt trip placed on the public, raise your prices 20%, and pay your employees a livable wage. The public will still show up to eat in your restaurant.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#7
post #2

> That's because for many, leaving food service had a lot to do also with its high-stress culture: exhausting work, unreliable hours, no benefits and so many rude customers. I didn't realize that rude customers was that widespread.

All you need is 1 jerk customer to have a bad work day, and those jerk customers are probably eating out multiple times a week at different locations

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#8
post #6

I’m sure it has nothing to do with the government paying people to sit at home - something NPR forgot to mention in their article.

Based on my discussions with barber-shops and other lower wage earners... at least in my area... people are still afraid of COVID19 and don't want to work in a public-facing role during a pandemic.

I'm not sure how money would change that. Even if you doubled wages all of a sudden, if people are literally fearing for their lives, you can't actually get them to come in.

-------

In resort areas (beaches, etc. etc.), a lot of these workers were also seasonal. I visited the beach and instead of being greeted by poorly speaking German folk (No offense, but its often obvious when you're interacting with a seasonal worker...) in my favorite restaraunt... I was greeted by Americans (far far fewer of them, because they couldn't find enough workers).

German seasonal part-time workers won't come over because of COVID19. Asking them to risk an airplane flight for some money just isn't worth it.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#9

The restaurant industry has known the solution for a long time but everyone wants to pretend it would be too difficult. Stop the tipping guilt trip placed on the public, raise your prices 20%, and pay your employees a livable wage. The public will still show up to eat in your restaurant.

Honestly, as necessary as that is, it’s not a magic solution. People are quitting the restaurant industry in France too, despite having none of the tip silliness.

It’s just that people are realizing that there are easier minimum wage jobs than working in a kitchen

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#10
post #2

> That's because for many, leaving food service had a lot to do also with its high-stress culture: exhausting work, unreliable hours, no benefits and so many rude customers. I didn't realize that rude customers was that widespread.

Have you ever worked restaurant or food service? I worked at McDonalds a few years after high school and it was the most demoralizing, depressing, and abusive job I've worked. Bussing tables wasn't much better in comparison either. But at least when bussing tables people didn't talk to you like you were human waste.

I had people actually tell me that I was stupid, I had someone throw an ice cream at me because they were mad I was parking them to wait for their order, I got screamed at far more regularly than you would think. That's just the tip of the iceberg, and management was usually worse.

No exaggeration: I would be homeless before working at McDonalds again. Not because of pride, but because it put me into a really bad depression.

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