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Restaurant workers quit at record rate

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Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#511

Post by [deleted] »

motohagiography wrote: post #199
oramit wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there has been a general rise in selfish behavior now that pandemic restrictions are being lifted. You have people who never took the pandemic seriously and now that things are back open, but are not the same, they are lashing out. That's one part of this. I also think you have another camp, which I'll admit to being a member of. I did everything I was supposed to do. I stayed at home, used masks everywhere,…

After a year of piety, it's possibly just "moral licensing." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-licensing ) I can't remember the other term, but there is a related concept where we do things like separate our recycling, then fly private. Someone with a job helping other people becomes an abusive disaster at home. Or the classic relationship anti-pattern of partner who "does things for you, and now you owe them," (c…

[deleted]

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#512

Post by WalterBright »

olyjohn wrote: post #505
WalterBright wrote: post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> scam There is a legal concept called "due diligence" where a party to a contract is expected to take reasonable steps to know what they're doing. Googling "starting salaries for [my major]" is a very, very low bar for due diligence. The posts in this thread absolving the student from making any effort whatsoever at due diligence is illustrative of the point I was making.

You expect a 15-17 year old to have the life experience to deal with this? They've been told exactly what to do their whole lives. Then they have been told how amazing and great and awesome they are, surely they won't be the ones coming out at that bottom wage.

Masters' degree students are 22-25. They don't go to college until 18, either, and even then they have FOUR years to figure out how to google starting salaries for their major. And if it doesn't look good, they have time to change majors, or at least stop digging deeper.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#514

Post by greedo »

tshaddox wrote: post #410
pixl97 wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

does it matter if it's a technical shortage or just and observed one? The only thing preventing restaurants from changing their prices is the 'penguin on an iceberg' issue. You may be correct in raising your prices, but if other restaurants are willing to lose money longer before they raise their prices your business may suffer/fail because of it before the rest of the market changes their prices/wages.

I'm no expert in how economists use the term, but I suppose it could certainly be called a shortage if there is some systemic reason why restaurants can't (or at least think they can't) raise prices in the short term. Personally I don't find that likely, at least based in my region where restaurants have indeed raised prices and many seem to be thriving (although many others failed in 2020).

In a normal economy, most restaurants fail for two simple reasons; poor location and undercapitalization. If you sell a good meal, in a good location, people are very tolerant of price. Getting to that point is where 99% of restaurants fail.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#515

Post by greedo »

patentatt wrote: post #495
bluGill wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a certain amount of investment needed to keep going. If you are going to close the restaurant next year you can keep the current tables, otherwise replace them before they get too worn out. Or maybe it is the fry machine at the end of life, replace it for $50,000. If the restaurant continues for a few more years it is worth it, to fix/replace things, but if the restaurant is doomed it is better to cut your l…

I realize this was in hypothetical terms, but do fry machines really cost $50k!?

No. Perhaps the fully automated/robotic type that McDonalds uses do, but any restaurant that is spending $50k per fryer is insane.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#516

Post by bjustin »

darth_avocado wrote: post #108
ashtonkem wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps the industry is not sustainable then.

It used to be. When ordering food in a restaurant was a special thing for special occasions. It was expensive to eat out and the workers were compensated for it. Then we got to a place where food was supposed fast, cheap and accessible to everyone at any time. And suddenly you couldn't charge a lot for your food and worker wages stagnated. Sure more people work in the restaurant industry than they ever did before, bu…

I'm not sure it ever was. Even Pompeii had fast food restaurants: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/27/950645473/whats-on-the-menu-i...

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#517

Post by paxys »

mdavis6890 wrote: post #372
yepthatsreality wrote: post #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.

What we are observing is the Demand Curve shifting left (people less interested in eating out) and the Supply Curve shifting down (the people willing to work in restaurants for any given wage is going down). Remember that supply and demand curves cover all wages/prices and quantities, they are not specific to a certain price/wage or quantity. This is observed as a shortage - more customers willing to buy a restaurant…

There is no change in people's interest in eating out. They couldn't because of covid, but demand is rapidly shooting back up.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#518

Post by bittercynic »

acover wrote: post #474

Would a Costco style membership work for food? Attract better behaved customers, match fixed vs variable expenses better, attract more regular customers. Though you run into restaurants being a terrible industry with too much competition.

I would go to that restaurant!

I don't love the membership fee - it seems a wrong to me to exclude the people who see $55/year as a barrier, but I LOVE the no-BS aura of Costco's employees. At Costco, more than any other store I've been to, I get the impression that you must be respectful to the staff if you'd like to continue shopping there. Maybe the membership model helps enable this, as the store could revoke your membership if you cause problems.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#519

Post by WalterBright »

ambrose2 wrote: post #458
WalterBright wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not checking starting salaries for one's major is stupid. I'm being blunt, but there's no other word for it. > teenagers Masters degree students are not teenagers.

Students often need to decide during undergrad to apply to grad school and at that point many are 19 or 20 years old. Not teenagers is a little pedantic.

Applying to grad school is not making a commitment. One still has two more years. At any time while in grad school, one can google starting salaries, and stop digging in deeper if the math doesn't work.

Re: Restaurant workers quit at record rate

#520

Post by nobodyknowsyoda »

Kluny wrote: post #486
devwastaken wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, whom ? What common factor do they share? Is it a government service?

FYI, the word you want here is "who". https://ielts.com.au/articles/grammar-101-who-vs-whom/

Oh dear, I hate to jump in but “whom” is the correct usage here. Grandparent is echoing great-great-grandparent, and since one pays her, one pays whom

> if you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use whom

Source: parent

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