Community care over profit

Testimonial by Isabelle O., current barista

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?

I had many friends that were either laid off, or forced to quit because of uncertainty in the industry and unsafe protocols. It was hard to see people in my social circle suffering financially. It was also hard to see how others in my social circle didn't understand what was happening-- whether it was because they didn't know restaurant workers personally, or didn't care. Same with customers, who became confrontational and aggressive. It's important for me that my workplace takes safety reasonably seriously. One of my coworkers can't be vaccinated, so she is relying on the rest of our staff to get it. I'm lucky my coworkers take this seriously. I'm less willing to work in the restaurant industry. I think everybody in the industry feels similarly. I'm lucky I have some mobility with my college degree and can work remotely part time, but even then, other jobs are scarce.

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?

I would like to see more restaurants feeding the community out of care, rather than for profit. I would be encouraged to stay in the restaurant industry if I had more support in the industry, through a professional network, industry-wide conferences, or a union, for example. However, as it is now, I hope to leave the restaurant industry in the future. This is unfortunate, because I truly love interacting with customers and providing food/beverages. It gives me joy to know my community, and see regular customers every week! Humans truly find so much community over food and drink, and it's a pleasure to be part of it on good days.
Other things I want to see are more discussion about front-of-house/back-of-house dynamics. I also want to ensure that everyone is paid fairly-- especially undocumented workers.

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

Before the pandemic, I saw a lot of workplace conflict-- this was more often because of stress, or scheduling, and truly the fault of no one. So many of us were working multiple jobs, were students, or were undergoing costly health issues. I truly feel if we had better access to health care, less costly tuition/costs of living, and didn't have to overwork ourselves, workplaces would function so much more smoothly.

I also think chronic pain is a major issue among restaurant workers-- it's typically a very physically taxing job, and people don't realize that. I'm regularly lifting half of my weight every day, multiple times a day.

Finally, understaffing has been an issue at some point, at every food service place I've worked, to varying degrees. Restaurant workers don't have a lot of control over their schedules. This makes emergencies or last-minute fall-throughs very challenging!