WE ASKED FOR IT . . . and you delivered - piping hot, right to our table, exactly when we requested it. You hospitality professionals never disappoint.

As we pored through the responses from last week's newsletter, we discovered that a few consistent themes were peppered throughout - well, four themes, to be precise:

Money, Hours, Conditions, and Stigma 
(more on each one below)

While our summary includes a variety of reasons that contribute to the Line Cook shortage, we're presenting this newsletter as a fact-finding mission - not a judgment / opinion piece - for the purpose of contributing to positive change in an industry that is vital to the success of the good food movement. 

While some of this information will sound familiar, based on the reputation of the industry, it was entirely culled from dozens of stories of personal experiences working in restaurant kitchens. We'd like to acknowledge that conversations like this tend to divide people into one of two camps:

1) the 'old guard' - These folks are whiners and wimps that have had everything handed to them. They just need to understand the value of working hard.

2) the blamers and shamers - That behavior is appalling - the people participating in it should be ashamed of themselves.

Our intention is not to move most of you - who are likely somewhere in the middle - to either extreme. These issues are deeply rooted and complex. Our intention is to start a meaningful dialogue - one that can get us all a little bit closer to the ultimate goal of surviving and thriving as employees and humans, as businesses and communities. 

Here are the main themes echoed throughout the email responses. BOH restaurant work is often unsustainable due to: 

THE MONEY 
While making a point to note that money isn't everything, many people elaborated on the fact that there is a minimum amount of money required to make a living. At the heart of the issue is the fact that many restaurants simply don't pay a livable wage to all of their employees. Factor in the reality of paying for a culinary degree (if you choose to go that route), the expense of basic benefits like health insurance, and the inability to work multiple jobs (more on that below) and the equation comes out to: something's got to give.

At the same time, the cost of restaurant food is being driven downward while the quality is expected to be pushed ever upward. What would happen if restaurants required diners to pay for a menu that reflects what it actually costs for all of their employees to be paid a livable wage (an argument eloquently outlined in this article by Chef/Owner Jason Hammel)?

Over and over, we heard a common refrain: if it were just the money, then it would be worth it - one's passion could be a satisfying balance to the low pay - but the slew of other compromises have begun to tip the scales, starting with...

THE HOURS
Just to clarify, nobody was complaining about working nights, weekends and holidays. Yes, they could admit that it's not ideal to be working when a vast majority of the population is out being entertained, celebrating, or relaxing. But anyone who wants to work in a restaurant knows about these limitations up front - it's not the deal breaker.

No, the hours argument was more a question of volume in relation to value. While the official hours of the job might be about 40 hours per week, there is a demand (both spoken and unspoken) for something closer to 60+ hours. Most of the folks we heard from shared their personal desire to work the long hours that were required. Cooking, after all, is a craft and one can be really driven to master their craft - which happens largely with repetition. But the current culture errs toward exploiting this desire rather than cultivating it. 

For many, the overtime hours were not compensated at all, making the initially low hourly pay even lower. Add to that the long and / or inflexible hours which make it impossible to take on additional part-time work, and the reality becomes a question of if rather than how.

THE CONDITIONS
As hard as it is for us to accept, the world is full of situations where people use cruelty, humiliation, oppression or obscene behavior to exert power. And restaurant kitchens are no exception.

While we don't condone this type of behavior, in any situation - for many obvious reasons - we do see how it is particularly out of sync in the restaurant industry. This type of abuse is the exact opposite of hospitality - the very purpose of a restaurant's existence. If you're providing great customer service in the dining room, is it really worth it to come up with a net zero when you factor in the deficit racked up by your BOH employees?

We heard some intense stories about people's experiences in restaurant kitchens, and the thing that resonated most was how every single person sharing stories of abuse eventually noticed that the toxic environment of their workplace was affecting the way that they, in turn, behaved toward others. In essence, their own threshold for acceptable behavior was altered, and they found themselves doing and saying things that didn't align with their values.

This is culture: learned behaviors that are passed on from one generation to the next. We all have a choice, and an ability to enact positive change. If you're feeling at a loss for inspiration, read Rene Redzepi's take on it in Lucky Peach. He reminds us that doing something because 'that's the way it's always been done' is not a reason to keep doing it. 

We understand how critical the concepts of discipline and camaraderie can be to a work environment, and we believe that there are ways they can be incorporated to promote the health and wellness of a community, rather than degrading it. Abuse is powerful because it produces short-term results, but it's toxic because it erodes long-term benefits such as loyalty, happiness and legacy.

THE STIGMA
At the end of the day - despite the rise of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs - working in the service industry is not generally considered a venerable profession in our country. We wish this were not so. When Taylor studied hospitality management she used to pass a quote painted on the wall of the building where most of her classes took place. It read, 'Life is service - the one who progresses is the one who gives his fellow beings a little more - a little better service.'

But outside of the industry, the stigma of service jobs pervades. It's hard to challenge the deeply rooted belief that the one who is serving must be beneath the one being served. We can't flip a switch and undo thousands of years of oppression, but we do have hope in sparking a mini-revolution - one where we wholeheartedly value those that are serving us, from the waitstaff at the restaurant to the host or hostess in their home kitchen. Until we change the conversation around what is revered and valued, these cultural norms will continue to persist. 

THE EXCESS
Here's a thought: there are just too many restaurants. 

The aforementioned factors lead to a system that encourages people to work their way through the line to open their own place. 

WHAT NOW?
Businesses across many industries blow through talented / enthusiastic / capable folks because they can. And while the well has traditionally been deep (i.e. there is always another person to replace them when they burn out), we'd like to think that this dry spell is a chance for both employees and employers to take a step back and consider - who exactly is this system serving? What are we ultimately getting out of it? How are we making the lives of the people around us richer and healthier?

At the moment, burnout levels are high. The industry is feeling this pressure. Ultimately the system isn't serving itself. People are saying, 'I love this, but the low pay + the long hours + the bad conditions aren't ultimately worth it. If I want other things in my life - balance, financial stability, a family - this is not going to be a feasible way for me to achieve them.'

We know, it's nearly impossible to 'have it all' in any instance. We wish we had a magic wand that would grant everyone a job that they Love, flexible hours, good pay, and opportunities to be challenged and grow. Such a combination is not impossible, but it takes creative thinking, a little bit of luck, and a lot of hard work to get there. 

We believe in the possibility of a positive culture shift - little by little. Are these symptoms present in a lot of restaurants? Yes. But are ALL restaurants operating in this capacity? Absolutely not. More accurately, people - and organizations - are imperfect. No one is usually all good or all bad. The important thing is for us to all to keep on making strides toward a better way. 

So for this week we'd love to hear from you again . . . 

Do you know of a restaurant that is breaking the mold?
Are they doing inspiring and/or revolutionary things behind the kitchen door?
If not, what are the things that you/they need - from coworkers or customers or legislation - to make changes that you'd like to see?

Let us know. We have a keen interest in highlighting the folks that have found a way to make it work, and helping them share the story of how they do so.

May we all work hard to instill value in our personal and collective work, and how it's perceived. May we express the value of restaurant labor not only in our patronage, but in our attitude toward everyone that plays a part to provide excellent service. And may you act with pride when you, in turn, serve others.

Cheers,

   Taylor & Dorothy
   Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs