Restaurant Labor Market Struggles As Industry Rebounds
Image Source: Kriston Jae Bethel/Bloomberg
Restaurant sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels this year, yet operators are struggling to stay staffed. Pandemic restaurant closures forced employees into other industries, and many never returned. “COVID not only resulted in a large exodus, but also a huge shrinkage in the number of people coming into the industry,” says Philadelphia restaurateur Ellen Yin. As rising talent becomes scarcer than ever, experienced job-seeking chefs are demanding higher compensation. "You have your cooks that are very new and fresh or the ones who are in sous chef or CDC (chef de cuisine) positions that are looking for salaried jobs with benefits. But the in-between [roles] are the ones I’m finding most difficult to fill,” says Reneé Touponce, Executive Chef of Port of Call and Oyster Club in Mystic, Connecticut.
L.A. Chefs Rally For City Aid As Business Plummets After January Fires
Image Source: Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times
Media coverage of the L.A. wildfires has mostly stalled, but local chefs and restaurateurs are still picking up the pieces. The devastating fires caused beloved establishments like Bar Chelou to close permanently, while other restaurants are hanging by a thread. Chef Wes Avila noted a drop in sales north of 60% at his otherwise popular eateries, MXO and Ka'teen, while wine bar Ruby Fruit has launched fundraising events in hopes of reopening after a temporary closure. Restaurant owners and chefs across L.A. are joining alongside Avila and his business partner, Giancarlo Pagani, who has authored a petition addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass seeking aid for restaurants in the community affected by the fires.
The Backstory: Greed, Gluttony And The Crackup Of Red Lobster
Image Source: Lisa Sheehan
The fall of America's iconic seafood chain began in 2014 when parent company, Darden, sold it to private equity firm, Golden Gate Capital. Golden Gate enriched its shareholders by leasing the restaurant real estate for $1.5 billion. That saddled location managers with high rent expenses. Revenues soon dipped, so Golden Gate sold a majority stake to Thai Union, one of the world's (and Red Lobster's) largest seafood suppliers. The chain continued to lose market share, and by the end of the pandemic, its customer count had plunged 30%. Thai Union threw a Hail Mary to enrich its own coffers by making Red Lobster's "Endless Shrimp" promotion a permanent fixture (selling the chain more shrimp). Diners swarmed, expenses skyrocketed, revenues tanked, and in May 2024, the chain filed for bankruptcy, closing 140 of its nearly 700 locations. In 2014, the chain had been valued at $2.1 billion. Greed and mismanagement devalued the brand so much that last month Red Lobster was sold to Manhattan's Fortress Investment Group for the bargain price of just $375 million. A sad fish tale, indeed.
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Chicken Sandwiches Are Now On More Restaurant Menus Than Burgers, Research Finds
Image Source: Restaurant Business
Fried chicken sandwiches now appear on 47% of US restaurant menus, according to research firm Technomic, while burgers are on only 41% and are tracking downward. The switch happened during the "Fried Chicken Sandwich Wars" at the height of the pandemic, when chicken sandwiches on menus increased by 10%. Consumers still order burgers twice as often as chicken sandwiches, according to market research company Circana, but restaurants have figured out that a fried chicken sandwich will bring in customers who might not want a burger but aren’t looking for a salad either.
2024 James Beard Award Winners Announced
Image Source: Lille Allen
The "Oscars of the food world" were held in Chicago in early June, where Dakar NOLA won Best New Restaurant, Michael Rafidi of Washington DC's Albi won Outstanding Chef, and the Outstanding Restaurant award went to Langbaan in Portland, OR. Over the same weekend, the James Beard Foundation announced its Media Award winners, including nods for the best cookbooks, food journalism, and broadcast media around the country. Full list here. Congrats all!
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