Our Restaurant Industry is really hurting

a reply to: putnam6

This is exactly what I hear from friends in business and not just hospitality. Everything has doubled and when that happens in a short time frame the results are not good, at all, for lots of folks.

Small business drives small towns. Without it, there is trouble.

I was just telling my friend that the Covid shutdowns hurt so many thousands of people and business'. But in the end, EVERYONE has lost so much, some of us just don't know it yet. It will be years before things return to pre Covid if ever. Sometimes when such devastation occurs, people adjust and things don't ever go back the way they were.

I see it all over people bickering about no one wanting to work and others saying 'not true' but the fact remains, there are not enough workers in the field today to keep things running as they were before. It is NOT business as usual.

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: putnam6

This is exactly what I hear from friends in business and not just hospitality. Everything has doubled and when that happens in a short time frame the results are not good, at all, for lots of folks.

Small business drives small towns. Without it, there is trouble.

There will damn sure be an adjustment period, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

We have had 30-plus years accounts and companies close, all in a matter of 12-18 months and they are still closing. We had over 1200 active accounts in our territory pre Covid now it's 748. It's brutal it will never be the same in my lifetime.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome is all you can try to do, as a lot of this is beyond our control

The numbers are a facade. The unemployment numbers are low because people like me have taken a second job. The second job factor is not accounted for in the unemployment numbers. There are not more jobs that pay more. You are living in another dimension but I think we all know that here on this site. Your generation is finally coming to an end.a reply to: 1947boomer

a reply to: JAGStorm

You could be describing the UK with your thread. Exactly the same thing is happening here. The UK and U.S people are more alike than any other two nations on earth. UK and U.S black people are alike in the same way too. The reasons why this decline is happening are the same in cause and almost the same in effect.

Before lockdown (not the virus, but the LOCKDOWNS) the UK eat out and fast food delivery industry was thriving. We had quality Europeans, such as baristas and French waiters who were bringing their skills and encouraging quality with us too.

It is better I list the causes I have noticed (as they are many):

Lockdown

Energy "Crisis": War with Russia and Carbon net Zero

Contagious Virus Threat (real and hyped)

Aggressive Green Carbon Net Zero protocols (in reality, dictates as we never voted on this)

Brexit: In Britain that lost us all the young workers who are the only ones who can get such low waged work to fit in with their employment needs. Britain made them go home and now it is too hard to get visas; also too unfriendly to people from other countries to fit in with their needs). Brexit has replaced them with Albanians who have brought a much nore unsavoury crime industry and huge rise in coc aine imports and users. People are choosing to snort coc aine at home instewad of going out to eat. The employers are Albanian and the delivery drivers are kids on mopeds and e bikes. This is all acurate and true if you check the huge rise in coc aine use.

A huge rise in self awareness and consciousness regarding diet linked to health, linked to life expectancy and later life health/illness.

Continued inflation that started with lockdown profit grabs by creating illusions of shortages of products and let the investors push it to max retail price for max profit. They could satisfy Carbon Net Zero and could use all the excuses I have listed above as the pretend reason why they just had to charge you more for your milk, beer and utilities.

They who capitalize are doing this to you. This is the definition of capitalize, of CAPITALISM that you all vote for and think is a good idea,

"take the chance to gain advantage from.
"do they have what it takes to capitalize on this emerging opportunity?""

Take advantage from everything! If there is a virus max it out and make billions from a vaccine you can even get yourself believing is needed for the masses with a little imagination and pretend philanthropy. If there is any sign of fuel supply issues max it out and make more out of less.

This is the whole game of our capitalist economies. We are brazen capitalists with no brakes and little consciousness regarding the consequences of its shadow.

You know what: More than anything getting to be at home more made people aware of how uncomfortable being with others you are not making the choice to be with forty hours a week really is; how stressful and irritating it is; how hard it is to commute and be with all those sweaty bodies on the undergrounds worrying about human terrorism and violence; how it is really not that nice being in crowds waiting ages for food watching others shoving food in their mouths and talking about nothing that has any meaning to you or your life; the fact that socializing was not really sociable at all as people hardly ever link with strangers in such environments.

The whole bottom had dropped out. We got to see that so much we have been conditioned into thinking is comfortable experience in reality is very uncomfortable and not at all nice to experience.

We are changed. I watched the UK go from being pretty unconscious "white bread" about food, even the middle and upper classes, to being obsessed with it across the class divide. I watched both the UK and Americans gain a lot of weight, that is a big plus for American health/drugs industries that make huge profits, but crushing to the NHS in the UK under the weight of obesity related health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, et c.

EXCESS FOOD + CAR + OFFICE SIT DOWN JOB = HEALTH PROBLEMS IN MIDDLE AGE INSTEAD OF OLD AGE and severely reduced quality of existence.

In our current deliberately hyped inflation in the UK (even though The Economist says it is not "greedflation" and believes the lies it tells to justify its necessity as the dollars pour in) we have a new concern: the cheapest fast junk food that everyone is going for now is the most unhealthy of all and the cheapest supermarket food is the most unhealthy of all.

The NHS reports that it is admitting adults and children who are showing signs of malnutrition. The investors are doing this to us to extract max profit in a time of lean opportunities. They need to keep their action. If they have to pick our bones that is exactly what they will do. They will want returns and dividends even as the world burns.

The restaurants around here are having a rough time too. If they raise their prices too much, people won't go and eat. The restaurants are not full like they used to be, we never experience a waiting line anymore. With prices rising, people just can't afford to go out as much anymore. We only go to restaurants occasionally now because it is so expensive and we live on social security. We have not dipped much into our savings so that is good. If we spent as much as our daughter and her husband on things, we would be broke in one year.

It does not cost much to eat home cooked meals. But the prep time is huge. We just made minestrome soup, we had boiled marrow bones, grass fed organic, previously from the half cow we get which took eighteen hours of boiling, then we strained it and cooled it and poured it into four quart and a pint containers and froze the broth and made french onion soup about a month ago. so we took out one pint and one quart to start the soup with. It took about two hours but we got great minestrome soup, with fresh green beans and Muir glen tomatoes and organic kidney beans from cans. The celery and carrots were organic but not the onions and garlic or noodles. We ate two meals from it and have some for lunch...total cost was about thirteen dollars, the time was about four hours if you consider the time for the broth for what we used. This soup is not the same as I have ever had in a restaurant, but we do not go to real expensive restaurants. I would bet that a big bowl of a soup like this would cost about sixteen bucks in a fancy restaurant because of the labor involved.

Did the bones from the organic cows make a difference in taste? don't know. But the celery, carrots, and organic cabbage sure have lots more flavor. And the muir glen organic tomatoes are great too. The green beans were from Wisconsin at the vegetable fruit stand, they were really good tasting and fresh, probably not organic but green beans organic do not seem to taste that much better than the local green beans from small farms do.

We are spoiled rotten, we make some really good foods, better than almost any restaurant around here. But there is a lot of time involved in it.

a reply to: rickymouse

That is a lovely way to live. I have only supermarket access to food and have to buy in moderation. I am not encouraged as I am very alone in the world. Eating with others encourages the positive experience of eating. I eat very healthy, always at home.

You will live a long healthy life with such positive behaviour.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I spoke with a couple of friends that were not very interested in meeting at the local fast food spots. Personally I don't trust the well known fast food joints.

I am lucky enough to have a couple of friends that own food establishments, so if I decide to eat out, I eat where I know my food is safe, Don't know if you have ever heard of Bolay's, but I love their food, and service.

There are a few of us, that just are not trusting enough to eat out just anywhere.

a reply to: Merman

Well, I do not know about living longer, but we seem to be healthier than we were six years ago. The wife is seventy one...two little dose pills a day and I am sixty seven and I don't take any prescriptions. I have a problem detoxing medicines genetically, especially antiepileptics.

Maybe they should pay better instead of passing the buck to customers.

I took work delivering pizza's. I make about $22 an hr average. I live in a very high traffic tourist area of FL and we can't keep inside workers because they aren't paying worth a crap. I have to do double work because we don't have people. I was supposed to just deliver and do some instore tasks, but for the past 6 months I've been driving+working inside.. it's ridiculous.


Also people suck, I have to survive on tips using my own vehicle, and it's not uncommon to get stiffd on a large order, or take an order to a low income area.

I get paid a little better hourly than a server though, plus I don't have to deal with customers for long periods of time.

Current going rate at my job is 7.98 on the road .32c a mile, 11$ an hour instore + tips. Min wage going up to $12/hr in september up to $15/hr by 2026

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES
a reply to: KKLOCO

Wages for waiters/waitresses in the South is 2.13 plus tips.

I used to serve entire families of seven or more people for over an hour with all the trimmings only to be left a dollar tip.

Anyone who expects anyone to work for $2.13 is out of their gourd. There are actual slaves in Southeast Asia who get a better hourly rate making Nike trainers at gunpoint.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It's a combination of things, but right now to add to the pile, line cook / chef life is an "it" thing right now. Everyone who works in the industry wants to have the sleeve tattoos, canvas aprons, and work at a place that serves overly topped smash burgers or a Michelin star joint.

Working at restaurants whether it's front or back of house is and was always a bottom of the barrel working class job, although there is money in owning, or being a head chef (not always) its a tough gig, and since times are tough right now economic wise, a downturn was bound to arise.

This is however a good opportunity for cheap eat restaurants to capitalize, a lot of American classics came out of hard times, po boys, hamburgers, American style pizza, etc...

originally posted by: eXia7
I took work delivering pizza's. I make about $22 an hr average. I live in a very high traffic tourist area of FL and we can't keep inside workers because they aren't paying worth a crap. I have to do double work because we don't have people. I was supposed to just deliver and do some instore tasks, but for the past 6 months I've been driving+working inside.. it's ridiculous.


Also people suck, I have to survive on tips using my own vehicle, and it's not uncommon to get stiffd on a large order, or take an order to a low income area.

I get paid a little better hourly than a server though, plus I don't have to deal with customers for long periods of time.

Current going rate at my job is 7.98 on the road .32c a mile, 11$ an hour instore + tips. Min wage going up to $12/hr in september up to $15/hr by 2026

I always tip pizza drivers. What infuriates me is the delivery fee that doe NOT go to the driver. No need for that BS.

a reply to: datguy

A higher tipper, always...even tho I'm not rich...I refuse to be "billed" on any receipt.

But I will pay say my hair cutter by card...then say " No Tip on the card"... "Don't know if you would really get it". Then I give her the full cut price in cash too. So my hair cuts cost a charge + dbl cash-about $30 instead of $15.

To me? It's worth paying both. She sure is underpaid. And I often, most always thank workers everywhere I see for even coming to work these days....

originally posted by: TacoLoco75
The numbers are a facade. The unemployment numbers are low because people like me have taken a second job. The second job factor is not accounted for in the unemployment numbers. There are not more jobs that pay more. You are living in another dimension but I think we all know that here on this site. Your generation is finally coming to an end.a reply to: 1947boomer

Oh but there are more jobs that pay more. Every trade skill is hurting bad for people. No air conditioning though.

originally posted by: coop039

originally posted by: eXia7
I took work delivering pizza's. I make about $22 an hr average. I live in a very high traffic tourist area of FL and we can't keep inside workers because they aren't paying worth a crap. I have to do double work because we don't have people. I was supposed to just deliver and do some instore tasks, but for the past 6 months I've been driving+working inside.. it's ridiculous.


Also people suck, I have to survive on tips using my own vehicle, and it's not uncommon to get stiffd on a large order, or take an order to a low income area.

I get paid a little better hourly than a server though, plus I don't have to deal with customers for long periods of time.

Current going rate at my job is 7.98 on the road .32c a mile, 11$ an hour instore + tips. Min wage going up to $12/hr in september up to $15/hr by 2026

I always tip pizza drivers. What infuriates me is the delivery fee that doe NOT go to the driver. No need for that BS.

I know this is going to sound like corpo BS but actually the fee covers the companies auto insurance policy. Apparently insurance is so expensive that only minor accidents affect their overall policy. People can say "well the company should pay!" and to that I would say, no it's not going to work, because restaurants already run on tight margins their only way to actually have a delivery service with insurance and still pay a wage and taxes is to pass the cost along somehow.

originally posted by: Crackalackin

originally posted by: TacoLoco75
The numbers are a facade. The unemployment numbers are low because people like me have taken a second job. The second job factor is not accounted for in the unemployment numbers. There are not more jobs that pay more. You are living in another dimension but I think we all know that here on this site. Your generation is finally coming to an end.a reply to: 1947boomer

Oh but there are more jobs that pay more. Every trade skill is hurting bad for people. No air conditioning though.

And really low pay. You have to think, these construction companies have been benefitting from cheap labor for so long that they are deluded into thinking ANYBODY wants to go out and destroy their body for literally nothing.

Construction work is extremely tough on the body and requires long hours and the compensation is peanuts for the amount you sacrifice. If you want to make money in that industry, you might as well buy some tools at a pawn shop and run a handyman or remodeling business.

a reply to: Merman

You were doing okay until you started bashing capitalistic countries. The fact is a large percentage of countries are suffering after covid lockdowns.



Every Communist Country in the World (circa 2021):

China (People's Republic of China)
North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
Cuba (Republic of Cuba)
Vietnam (Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Despite communism's theoretical vision of equality so pure that governments themselves are unnecessary, real-world communist countries typically have overbearing, oppressive governments that maintain tight control over their citizens. For instance, North Korea's official name might lead one to believe its people are free and empowered. But in actuality, the country is a secretive dictatorship in which the government controls nearly every aspect of its citizens' lives and has been accused of massive human rights violations.

Socialist Countries of the World
Countries that have constitutional references to socialism and are thus considered to be socialist states include:

Bangladesh (The People's Republic of Bangladesh)
Eritrea (State of Eritrea)
Guyana (Co-operative Republic of Guyana)
India (Republic of India)
Nepal (Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal)
Nicaragua (Republic of Nicaragua)
Portugal (Portuguese Republic)
Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)
Tanzania (United Republic of Tanzania)

Cuba:

Cuban worker exodus a 'catastrophe' for island's businesses
Havana (AFP) – Like other businesses across Cuba, Nel Paradiso is grappling with a worker shortage amid unprecedented levels of people fleeing the island nation.

China:

Youth unemployment has become a serious challenge for China, the world's second-largest economy, especially after three years of “zero-Covid” restrictions weighed heavily on growth. The jobless rate among people ages 16 to 24 was a record 21.3% in June, the National Bureau of Statistics reported on Monday.2 days ago (July 23 2023)

Vietnam:

Bosses try to coax Vietnam's workers back to factories

Vietnam, one of the world's larges suppliers of apparel and footwear, is experiencing a labor shortage. Many employee are reluctant to return after a harsh summer lockdown

the Covid-19 pandemic affects the market risks for all sectors in Vietnam. Oil and Gas, Steel, and Trade, followed by Banking and Real estate, are the most affected sectors. These findings provide important policy implications for the Vietnamese government, policymakers, and investors.

Portugal:

According to the data, Portugal is expected to see a shortage of 49,000 workers in the third quarter of 2022, with one in ten vacancies expected to remain unfilled this year. Before the pandemic started, more than 485,000 people were employed in Travel and Tourism in Portugal.

India simply has too many people and no unemployment issues.


There are 195 countries in the world. Regardless of their economic/political/social systems, the majority of them are suffering after Covid lockdowns in finding workers. You simply can't ignore facts. These problems have nothing to do with capitalism.

Quite a few places died in my city as restaurants, bars, and other businesses; Due to the nearly three years of Covid lock downs and curfews... I'd say it's likely a ripple effect where those that stayed open ate their personal finances to stay open instead of closing and now are forced to close; Since they can't finance staying in business... Even though they should be on the re-bound.

Most new restaurants tend to fail before the three year mark even without a pandemic... So the risk of going out of business at any time is kinda a given.