Is the Catering Industry in Crisis?

After many years now in the catering industry as a chef I have seen plenty of changes. Like all changes some are good and some bad. Different styles of cooking; Nouvelle Cuisine, Cuisine Natural, Molecular cooking, the change from meat and three veg to more picturesque plates, the a la carte dinning and so on. The availability of products throughout the world has never been better.

Where as the quality of staff is on the decline, and has been now for sometime. The days are gone when as a chef you would gladly [work]work[/tag] until all was done no questions asked, when the chef would give you more work to do and you thought that you should be going home!!! Home was a place of rest for a few hours, these days the workers just want to get home asap, mind you the majority of people are paid by the hour, you would think that they would try to do as many hours as they could. I must be thinking wrong.

We used to work as long as was needed for a basic wage, no bonus or extra or overtime, what was overtime, that was just normal. Today I do think that the catering staff are so much better off, but they just do not appreciate it or even understand how lucky they are. Apprentices receive tool allowance’s, how will they ever respect there tools if they are given them!!! I agree that the pay is poor for what the staff do, and that we get the short end of the stick all the time, which is definitely not fair. Our job is very stressful and being a service industry you often get looked upon as a nobody. But we only have ourselves to blame ( and the government, but those idiots we can’t change ) the public always want to pay less, hence the prices can’t be to high so we (the staff) can’t earn more.

Everybody can cook (well so they think) and with that in there mind think they know better, and wonder why they should pay for the service. Prices for commodities are constantly on the increase, and not just a few cents either. When you go shopping I bet you say that’s gone up and that, and so on. Isn’t it true. Now spare a thought for those out there working in restaurants and other hospitality outlets trying hard to please the customer every single day with a good product and service, all for what???? Take a good look at the state the industry is in, and then think hard about it, why?

Now how can we change it? Well we must first pay the price for good food, pay the price for good service, pay the price for good staff. To get good staff is hard, believe me I know, I have worked alongside some of the best chefs in the world and thats no bull, I have also seen some crap out there that make believe there way through the industry. What’s this incentive of cash to entice people into the industry. I honestly think that the whole training systemis wrong and in desperate need of a revamp. We can not expect to employ good staff if we send them to poor quality motels and pubs or fast food outlets to gain their knowledge. Wakey - wakey people.

Restaurants should also not be a teaching ground. How would you like to be served by, cooked for, by an apprentice or somebody learning, at your cost, then pay full price, top dollar for it. Question, would you give your brand new $70′000 car into the garage for an apprentice to look after it? I don’t think so. But you wouldn’t mind if it was an old car that was less worth. Just think about that, the apprentice gets to work on an engine that is the same as the other just older, and can learn and make mistakes and then when ready he can move on to bigger and better vehicles.

Like our industry the young chefs should start out in a large hotel or a place with plenty of good quality staff, so they can be taught properly without jeopardizing the establishment. You might be in a place without a large hotel or great restaurant with chef hats and Michelin stars, easy answer, move to one if you want to learn, don’t expect it to come to you. Apprentices should not be looked upon as cheap labor either, it is our responsibility to train these people ready for the future, but obviously in the correct environment. As for the TAFE, well I am surprised if they learn anything with the attitude of the teaching staff. The students should be made to feel the importance of an apprenticeship not just turn up if you want to!!!! how can we qualify them if they don’t go through the hard yards. They need to understand and earn respect from the other’s in the industry, because as an apprentice you have seen and learned very little.

I know , I was once an apprentice. So now that I have woken up the brain cells within you, have a good think about what you have just read and next time you dine out, next time you turn up for work, next time you go to TAFE, next time you get asked to do that little bit extra, next time you pay the bill, next time you service the car, so next time remember………..

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