I’m tired of excuses

Testimonial by David B., current line cook

1) As a current/former/future restaurant worker, how has the pandemic changed your perspective on the restaurant industry? How has it impacted your willingness to work in the industry?

DB: I am a current restaurant cook, having returned to work full time at my employer's request a month into the pandemic. I was happy to return and make food that makes people happy. Nearly a year since then, my opinion of the restaurant industry has become increasingly pessimistic. These businesses operated on extremely thin margins before the pandemic. Over the last year restaurant owners, management, and their trade groups have unabashedly defended a business model that places the burden of responsibility for meeting those margins on their workers - asking them to accept unlivable, inconsistent compensation and dangerous working conditions. The pandemic made this model crystal clear and I'm really tired of hearing excuses and rationalizations for it. If there was ever a time to reevaluate the prevailing business model, educate the public on the need for prices that realistically reflect cost, and repair fraying trust with their workers, it was this year. They have shown absolutely zero interest in this effort beyond lip service. I plan to stay in the restaurant industry because I want to eventually prove it is possible to operate a restaurant professionally, sustainably, while treating labor issues with rigor and seriousness.

2) What would you like to see change in the restaurant industry? What changes would encourage you to return to work in a restaurant/food service environment?

DB: I would like to see a lot of changes in the restaurant industry. Most importantly, I want to see restaurants be courageous enough to challenge and educate their customers and the public at large about the realities of how the products and service they receive are produced. The industry's excuse for failing to protect and adequately compensate workers is always that doing so would require raising prices. I want to see restaurants take responsibility for the task of bringing this internal conversation to the public. I think they would be surprised by customers' willingness to support their business if the hidden labor and resources that go into their experience are brought into the light, celebrated, and valued fairly. I'd be a lot happier to provide my labor and expertise in that context.

3) What issues were you experiencing in the restaurant industry before the pandemic?

DB:  I've experienced a number of issues in the restaurant industry before the pandemic hit. I've been on a salary and worked way more hours than I was promised in negotiations, and had health insurance benefits withheld. I've been asked to clock out and continue working, arrive early and work before clocking in, and change my schedule with insufficient notice. I've been outright lied to about everything from day-to-day operations, menu changes, my compensation and the compensation of others, and commitment to safety and health protocols. What makes me especially sad and frustrated is that these things are often downplayed by the workers being victimized - the internal culture of restaurant workplaces has come to reflect the toxic, callous values of its owners and investors.