Anytime I meet someone who has a unique view of the hospitality industry, I’m eager to trade notes. For the past decade, Valerie Upfold has been a hospitality recruiter. Before that, she spent 15 years with the Oliver & Bonacini restaurant group, becoming the company’s first HR director as it grew tenfold in size. Who better to talk to about the current state of labour in the restaurant business
General manager and executive chef would be the lowest level that I do. If I have a client I’ve done a lot of work with, and they ask me to look for a sous-chef or assistant manager, before the pandemic, I would have said yes. Now it’s not really possible — because those junior-level managers are leaving for $2,000. If the person leaves in two months, they’re mad at me. And I’m finding another replacement. It’s all-around not good. But if I come across people, I’ll send them to my clients.