Where have all the cooks gone?

views from the kitchen

recently departed

So...where have all the cooks gone? The answer is, I have no idea and can't even think of where they would be. This post is very honest, so if some of you are surprised or hurt by what you will read, well I'm sorry. It is the truth and the struggle we are all going through right now.

Most industries are struggling to find a viable work force at the moment, so if everyone is short on people, where did they all go?

I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to come back, after I got laid off. The majority of people in hospitality, always thought everyone has to eat and drink, so they would never be out of work. Then we all found out we were disposable and could be replaced very easily and we weren't actually needed. So when that happened, I think everyone had a break and had a chance to say, if I am disposable, how can I work somewhere where I am not.

The pivot, the change in career, the move into a different job in the same business. I've heard it all. I lived it. I had to leave where I lived, because I literally could not work. Did I try to get a job outside of the business? No, but I know many people who did.

an example of too many hats at work

Now the game has changed...sometimes I think for the worse. People now just walk out or don't even bother to show up for their shifts. You will see one guy today and never hear from him tomorrow. I guess people have began to just prioritize different things and can't be bothered with caring about the boss or person running the business they have applied for. Maybe they see a red flag and say, screw it, I'm not working here.

I also think that the fascination or the novelty of being a chef as a career, does not appeal to people anymore. We are a trade that doesn't require a red seal to work, so the value of being a chef as a trade is gone. We are so desperate for good people that we will promote them to keep them to stay more than we ever did when I was a young cook.

I think if you left the industry, you couldn't be blamed for doing so. Would you want to wait around again for the business you work for to open and bring people back, just have it shut down again in 3 weeks? I think a lot of people got tired of waiting and went to do something else.

I think people also got tired of the hours and the lifestyle. It is hard to work at night when you have a family or on holidays and during times when everyone else has a day off. Maybe that break that everyone got when the world shut down made people look in the mirror and say, do I really want this anymore?

just another day

I can't figure out where everyone went. I do know that has become much harder to stay in it and stay positive about the future. Businesses are operating at higher levels than pre pandemic, with half the staff. It's not sustainable and it's scary. The hours most of us are putting in right now aren't reasonable. We are wearing so many hats, that we are toppling over.

The pressure to hire and retain staff is at an all time high. The wages have gone up and the offers are the biggest I have seen for years. Maybe it is time that people properly got paid and rewarded for doing a good job and coming to work when others don't feel they want to.

What I have to say is, when you go out to eat, be nice and thank the people that made your meal. Chances are they have had one hell of a day, one hell of a week and one hell of a year.