Over the past decade there was a massive shortage of trained chefs and cooks, which made life difficult for restaurants and other food service operators. While business was booming, there just weren’t enough trained leaders in the kitchen. And then COVID-19 happened. Suddenly, restaurants were in crisis, having to temporarily shut down, reduce capacity, or completely change business models. As business slowed,
Continue reading Everyone knows too many cooks in the kitchen is a recipe for disaster. But what if there aren’t enough? Restaurants across the country are having a hard time filling kitchen worker positions, and with no relief in sight, the shortage is likely to change the dining out experience. “Everyone is opening a restaurant, yet the painful reality is there isn’t
Continue reading The drumbeat began about five years ago, as the restaurant industry started to recover from the recession. The sound was faint, but chefs noticed. Openings for junior jobs like prep cook and line cook were taking longer to fill, and the applicants had weaker skills. Cooks with just one or two years of experience were applying for jobs better suited
Continue reading 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
Continue reading As the restaurant industry tries to recover from the pandemic, it is facing a new crisis: a staff shortage in the kitchen. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for chefs and head cooks is far outpacing the number of students interested in those careers. The bureauprojects the need for head cooks and chefswill rise 25% by 2030, far
Continue reading As the restaurant industry tries to recover from the pandemic, it is facing a new crisis: a staff shortage in the kitchen.According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for chefs and head cooks is far outpacing the number of students interested in those careers.The bureau projects the need for head cooks and chefs will rise 25% by 2030, far
Continue reading I think there is a new standard,” said Alfred Ehrlich, a chef turned executive search/personnel consultant who heads Kitchen Maestro. “The people I represent are earning 20 to 75 percent more than normal. The pendulum swings one way or the other, and labor has the upper hand now — especially for highly skilled chefs.” Top New York chefs can earn
Continue reading The demand for experienced restaurant staff has put salaries on a fast boil – with pay skyrocketing as much as 75% and one recently hired chef scoring a $400,000 deal, Side Dish can report.The salaries are soaring thanks in large part to a labor shortage and rising demand to dine out after pandemic lockdowns, according to interviews with chefs, restaurant
Continue reading Businesses are having to turn down bookings as employee numbers remain low following the pandemic and Brexit “We used to be able to do 26 (people for a Christmas party booking) but we absolutely can’t do that now. The max we can do now is 10,” said the York restaurant’s owner, Clarrie O’Callaghan. The shortage means that anyone who called
Continue reading Restaurants are booming in Britain, but the chronic shortage of chefs and other staff is threatening the industry Restaurants are booming in Britain, but the chronic shortage of chefs and other staff is threatening the industry
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