An untapped market of mature, dedicated, and loyal employees.
The effect of the pandemic on the hospitality industry
The effect of the pandemic on the restaurant industry was been devastating. Nationally, 110k restaurants closed permanently, with LA, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco being hit the hardest (Fortune).
During the shut down, irregular hours, low pay, and lack of benefits forced many restaurant workers to reevaluate their careers. Coupled with the lack of upward mobility, and it’s no surprise that many of them don’t want to go back. They want to work, just not in that industry.
Why hire a restaurant professional
TIME MANAGEMENT
Possibly the most important skill, workers from these industries would not succeed if they couldn’t handle the timing of their service. The ability to multi-task is integral.
SOFT SKILLS
Developing rapport with guests, handling conflict with grace, managing complaints and building relationships with staff are only some of the ways soft skills come into play.
HARD SKILLS
Restaurant work isn’t all about personality, (although that helps). Servers are responsible for managing money, pushing sales, and issuing refunds; while kitchen staff are responsible for inventory, waste, and predictive analysis.
MANAGEMENT
Restaurant management is a demanding and stressful job. Managing anywhere from 3-100 employees to being direct line to guest relationships means they are integral to the success of the enterprise.
EDUCATION
One of the well-know secrets about hospitality staff is that a lot of them do have degrees. Whether it be demanding culinary degrees, or a liberal arts degree that didn’t turn into a lucrative career, hospitality staff is often already educated.
SOFTWARE
Modern hospitality work is driven by software. Bookings, orders, inventory, sales, all of it is managed with technology. Restaurant and hospitality workers must quickly learn a variety of software offerings to be successful.