Tag Archives: The Bureau of Labor Statistics

“Tap – Order – Pay” – The Way Forward for Restaurant and Hospitality Sectors?

According to a study carried out by America’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in January this year, the restaurant labor force in that country is still over 450,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels — marking the largest employment deficit among all U.S. industries. Although figures are not currently available for Canada, the situation is the same.

In November 2022, the USA National Restaurant Association found that 63% of full-service restaurants and 61% of limited-service places are operating with fewer employees than needed to accommodate guests. 

At the beginning of February this year, The Washington Post reported that although many industries have recovered since the start of the pandemic, in the USA (similar trends in Canada) 2 million hospitality and leisure jobs still remain open. 

Hospitality is still stuck in the dark ages. High-friction ordering, slow and clunky payments, and labor challenges lead to low profitability and a poor customer experience,” notes Brian Duncan, President of me&u USA, a global leader in at-table ordering specializing in restaurants and bars. 

The labor shortage has led chefs and restaurateurs to reduce their workweeks, while some restaurant owners have had to increase the wages of their staff by as much as 20% in addition to closing earlier on weeknights. Others have even had to change their business practices to attract new employees.  

Technology can bridge the customer service gap when there are fewer employees available. Customers prefer to use self-service kiosks or access the menu by scanning QR codes because they can take additional time to read the menu, find new things to try, and customize their orders exactly to their preferences. 

Such technology means shorter waits at the counter, faster table turnover, and more accurate orders because the information is transmitted directly from the customer to the kitchen. Also, Pay-at-the-Table Technology cuts out the back-and-forth trips from the POS terminal to the table to process payments shaving several minutes off each table turn. 

Manual orders are typically expensive, slow, and inefficient. Smart technology reduces labor costs, takes the load off servers, increases spending per order, and elevates the customer experience,” concludes Duncan.

  • What factors are impacting the restaurant and hospitality industries in the U.S and Canada.? 
  • How can technological innovations help restaurants operate with limited staff and still increase revenue? 
  • How can self-service ordering and streamlined payment tools enhance customer experience? 

References: 

  1. Guinn, Justin. How to Survive the Restaurant Industry Labor Shortage. January 2023. Toast. https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/how-to-handle-the-restaurant-industry-labor-shortage  
  2. Restaurants added jobs in 24 consecutive months. January 6, 2023. National Restaurant Association. https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/economists-notebook/analysis-commentary/restaurants-added-jobs-in-24-consecutive-months/  
  3. Latham, Tory. Restaurants Are Still Struggling to Hire as 2 Million Jobs Remain Unfilled. February 3, 2023. Robb Report. https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/hospitality-leisure-jobs-pandemic-1234803857/  
  4. Latham, Tory. Despite 41,000 New Jobs, Restaurant Employment Still Lags Behind Pre-Pandemic Levels. July 8, 2022. Robb Report. https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/restaurant-industry-job-numbers-1234697181/  
  5. Hospitality Labor Shortage 2022. May 17, 2022. NCC. https://www.nccusa.com/hospitality-labor-shortage-2022/  

Out Of Work? You Could Be A Contestant On A Future Game Show

After perusing the many niches of reality TV — well-to-do housewives in multiple major cities, the rugged Alaska lifestyle, and working the dirtiest jobs known to man — employment strategist Richard B. Alman wonders why we haven’t seen a show about a popular and compelling subject: long-term unemployment and drop-outs. (Spoiler alert- Life imitates art, this has in fact become reality…read on)

It’s a numbers game

While unemployment rates ebb and flow, according to various Government agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States or Statistics Canada here at home, there is no reliable data for the long-term unemployed – those who’ve been jobless for 27 weeks or more – and for the underemployed.

“Recent college grads, who are typically saddled with student debt, still struggle to find terra firma in the professional world, and there’s a large blind spot for older unemployed workers, who may have gone back to school or taken a lesser job for which they’re overqualified, or they’re still searching,” says Alman, principal of Recruiter Media, owner of www.RecruiterNetworks.com, the world’s largest owner/operator of career websites.

The 1990 arcade game Smash TV- set in 1999 and with a vague story arc. Officially, the plot of Smash TV revolves around a futuristic game show in which players compete for various prizes, as well as their lives. Urban legend has included references to 'out of work teens and college drop-outs' being some of the principle characters. CP

The 1990 arcade game Smash TV- set in 1999 and with a vague story arc. Officially, the plot of Smash TV revolves around a futuristic game show in which players compete for various prizes, as well as their lives. Urban legend has included references to ‘out of work teens and college drop-outs’ being some of the principle characters. 

“Drama, struggle, learning moments and, yes, hope – that’s what you’d get with an un- and underemployment-themed reality TV show.”

Life imitating art imitating life? The Running Man takes place in the year 2017- and pits ‘society discards against one another in a reality based TV show set in a dystopic future’.

Alman reviews how the first season might play out.

•  Week 1: Job-seekers are happy to have a gig. Since reality show participants are paid, all are happy for this opportunity. Newly graduated college students are grateful to have a place to crash for several weeks with Wi-Fi and other free amenities, and love interests begin to develop. Older professionals, however, will have mortgages and families; for them, the show is a business trip. Underemployed job-seekers tell their stories of working long hours in unfulfilling positions.

•  Week 2: Putting the reality into “reality TV.” “Un- and underemployment touches nearly everyone; we all know someone without enough work,” Alman says. While reality includes fortuitous wealth and fame for a few, it also includes tough times for many. The second week would feature job-seekers sticking to old methods of searching that have not worked in the past and continue to fail them.  

•  Week 3: The reveal – participants find out it’s a competition. While the cameras have sparked renewed vigor in their individual searches – a few participants may have even tried some wildly unconventional tactics – the group has had relatively little success. Producers reveal that it’s not just a reality show about job-seekers, it’s a competition. The group is separated into two teams. Participants from the winning team get legitimate interviews with Fortune 500 companies.

•  Week 4: Job-seekers gain important tips. No matter how much experience, talent, youth or beauty they have, job-seekers still make mistakes with their strategies. While a well-written cover letter, an impressive education and a great resume certainly help – they’re not everything. Professionals give participants tips for staying relevant in today’s market, including the importance of doing volunteer work, preferably in roles that match their talents and training.

“I really cannot overemphasize this tip enough. Volunteering is probably the best way for the long-term unemployed to demonstrate their abilities, initiative and effectiveness in a marketplace that hasn’t given you enough of a chance,” Alman says. “It builds new skills, introduces you to a new network of potential employers, and adds recent experience to your resume.”

•  Final week: All are on their way to gainful employment. After several weeks, most of the participants have made significant progress in landing career positions. While the winning team gains a great opportunity with a guaranteed, high-quality interview, there are no losers on this show. And, those who’ve made an excellent impression on the program are sure to gain additional opportunities.

For the Silo, Richard B. Alman

Supplemental-Following the theme of this story, you might like to consider the US game show “Paid Off”. Accordingly the contestants are graduates competing to have their student loans paid off.