Ruthless business before can't even imagine it now. Owners fighting bottom line servers income reduced due to lower numbers of people with no big parties,all the time risking your health and spending your shift cleaning and wearing a mask...my smile was my money maker!
People need to know about the rampant drug and alcohol problems in the foodservice industry. They are caused by the business itself, it is ruthless and employees are treated like disposable humans.
@@dixie4350 I don't believe that is why people are in the business. I believe the business drives a lot of individuals to seek comfort somewhere. And with schedules that make actual healthy relationships difficult, conditions that result in nagging injuries with no health care or time off to heal, low wages that create a cycle of hopelessness and bosses who tell you to "leave life at the door" no matter what you are dealing with. It's no wonder substance abuse issues are sky high in the service industry. When you are treated as a completely replaceable cog in a machine, not a person, it will lead to mental health problems. And when no mental health care is offered, people will turn to what is available.
@@dixie4350 Also, is it possible that we have not kept pace in the restaurant industry with a changing world? Kitchen work used to be a stepping stone to a better job, be it working through college or waiting to get hired at a good manufacturing job. Well, the manufacturing jobs are far fewer due to a combination of jobs leaving to other countries and automation. And college has become unaffordable for many average Americans. But kitchens still retain starter job level pay and benefits when that was never meant to be enough to support an adult, let alone a family. So stress, despair, and hopelessness team up, and a lot of people feel there only option to fight back is to numb that pain until it at least goes away for tonight. Depression and other mental illnesses are monsters, and this industry produces those monsters like a God damed puppy mill.
Ms. Johnson .... a couple of points regarding restaurant AND corporate dining service workers. These two sectors of the food industry represent some 7 million jobs nationwide. The vast majority of them are at the lower end of the pay scale and have limited skill sets and have very little or no opportunity to work in other fields. They are also largely minorities. These are people in an industry that has been hit harder than most. Cooks, porters, dishwashers, waiters/waitresses, and bartenders are on the sidelines. And the food and beverage wholesalers/suppliers also employ mostly minorities and their businesses, like restaurants, are down 70 - 80 %. Tell me a lower paid industry who has a higher unemployment rate? THERE ISN'T ONE ! And the outlook for a turnaround when a vaccine becomes available will probably be very weak for years to come.
I spent 20 years in the food business and still do consulting. There is basically no restaurant that can survive at 25% capacity. There are almost none that can survive at 50% capacity. Margins in the food business are in the single/ low double digit range.
While the sentiment is appreciated, these aren't exactly quality jobs being lost in most cases. They are low paying, zero benefit providing, soul crushing jobs. It is an industry in need of serious overhaul. The employees in most restaurants are taken for granted and reminded on a regular basis of exactly how replaceable they are. That is why hardly any of these stories feature employees, hard to find one who care that this particular job might go away. It will be replaced by another terrible one soon enough.
Remember, these are people who get no nights and weekends off. Holidays are often worked. People miss kids dance recitals, sporting events, school functions regularly. I have worked with more than a few people who were expected to come in after a loved ones funeral (hey, it WAS wrapping up before dinner shift started). In the summer it regularly hits a 120 degrees in kitchens, extra staff is not added to allow for more breaks. There is a joke that most owners believe there is a reason "overtime" is made up of a pair of four letter words. All for little pay and no benefits. Restaurant workers are treated as disposable human beings. Substance abuse is a rampant problem as a result of these factors, but mental health care is never offered.
As a retired private sector and corporate restaurateur I tip my hat to Danny Meyer & co. And for all the many who have made the restaurant industry your field of work I pray for you and wish you well. God bless .... 🤲🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks. But instead of prayers and happy thoughts, what restaurant workers could really use is people to start helping us get a massive overhaul to a deeply broken system. Wages need to come way up. Benefits need to become the norm. Flexibility in scheduling to allow people to actually participate in the living of their loved ones lives. A path to affordable college to eventually exit this wretched industry. A change in the view that most restaurateurs take that their employees are completely disposable. Not all restaurant jobs are this bad, but most are. Both corporate and private ownership. Franchise and one offs. There is a reason alcoholism and substance abuse are massive problems in this industry, and it isn't because people love their jobs to much.
I'm right around 40. I have done everything from fast food and dishwshing in my younger days to sous chef and menu creation. When I worked at corporate places all we ever heard about was the shareholders. When I've worked private, there is never enough to pay the staff a living wage, but there is enough to provide the owner with a large home and a BMW. When health insurance has been offered, it would only be affordable working about 55 hours a week. Which is both wrong on many levels, and also impossible in many restaurants where overtime is simply not a regular thing. I'm yet to find the restaurant chain that comes anywhere close to competing with auto jobs on wages and benefits. And since these are becoming the jobs people rely on as manufacturing jobs disappear, perhaps that should be the case.
@@johnniemiec3286 .... thanks for your reply. Are you a knowledgeable baseball fan by chance? If yes, do you think Mookie Betts is being paid too much at approx. 30 plus million per year (365 million over 12 yesrs). For perspective Gleyber Torres of the NY YANKEES makes about 600k per year. Do you think this is fair???
@@LordofDublin4 let me start by saying that I believe all athletes are overpaid. As for that particular disparity, yes it is fair because they both play under the same CBA that was negotiated by their union on their behalf. Which coincidentally may be part of the solution to the service industry problem. In Canada, UNIFOR represents industries outside of the auto industry. Perhaps a similar expansion of the UAW, Teamsters of UFCW to include restaurant workers would result in better working conditions and benefits for them through the power of collective bargaining.
My fam and I weve been orderin food from our neighborhood restaurants. Its too hot anyways to cook so theyre a huge help. I pray this pandemic ends and ppl can have their jobs back, meanwhile we should do our part by even just wearin a mask.
If it's to hot for you to want to cook, how hot do you think a professional kitchen is? And remember, most of the people sweating it out in there are in most restaurants recieving low pay and zero benefits. But at least we get to work during our kids school events, on every holiday and always on weekends, so that makes up for it.
@@bbygrlpt2 contact your elected officials, especially if they are conservative. Tell them the minimum wage needs to be an actual living wage. Encourage them to decouple health insurance from employment.
@@bbygrlpt2 also, look on places like Glassdoor and other sites that rate employers. Only do business with ones that have positive comments from their employees. The ones that don't, maybe we would be better off with a few less of those establishments.
John Niemiec Yea like theyre gonma rise wages NOW when theres 50 million jobless. Theres not much to do now in that aspect until the pandemic is gone. I am tipping the delivery way more tho bc they get paid even less. Unfortunately any job will help them keep a roof over their head and food on the table given the circumstances.
What Danny failed to mention in his point about the number of jobs being higher than the auto and airline industries combined is that those tend to be good paying with benefits. The average restaurant worker is low paid and treated as a disposable human. No security, no retirement, zero benefits.
Quarantine has taught me that a lot of dishes I used to spend $20 on I can easily make for myself at home. But G-damn do I miss spending $20 on something I could have easily made at home!!!
It is amazing that their are still bosses like this out there. He gives a damn about those he hires. You want dedication to your business, dedication to your employees. I had a couple of jobs, where the CEO would come and talk to his employees. Take the time to talk to them, just a few moments make the biggest difference.
Restaurants need to serve nutritionally viable meals vs this fancy crap or fast food, and serve food at prices affordable by most. Where you can afford to eat should not be a status symbol. And bars, no matter how classy they are, are where people look for a hook-up.
I love CBS Sunday Morning, and all of Martha's stories. This one was fantastic... except the end where 1. She ate indoors, which isn't allowed right now in NYC, and 2. She licked a glove? Ew. Was it fresh/clean? Use compostable utensils, even if it's for a handheld food item! lol.
🙄 this is NOT a story about the crisis + recovery in America’s restaurants; this is a PR commercial for USHG and how they are providing a modicum of support to their employees. This story shows how employees have ZERO power in their employment and in the restaurant industry in general. What also irritates me is the interviewer has ZERO idea about asking any intelligent and hard hitting questions so we can get answers that will steer us in the right direction re: issues of safety, employees rights, and guests coming back and feeling safe to eat. Shame on you, Martha and CBS Sunday News Program.
Well I thought this report was heart felt and shows "SOME" owners care about their workers, that make "their" dream a reality. BUT........................ You do make a valid point, and I back your comment.
All these comments saying what he should do with his home and boats, shows a lack of Understanding just what the American Dream is all about. He has Worked long days and hours, he has risked, his personal money and assets to grow His company, Well that's none of your business as he was the man, who Worked to bring employment to so many. Now, you think you have the right to Tell him what he should do with his own property. DON'T THINK SO!!! 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀GOOD LUCK, MR. MEYERS
So multimillionaire gets called out for miking PPP. Then sets up a fund to give away money he doesn't need. Then gets a makeup job via CBS Sunday Morning. Disgusting. Wake up and smell the dystopia.
I don't know. I think once they get a vaccine done. Everything will be packed! Malls! Department stores! Restaurants! Theme parks! People will just want to be out again!
OK let's revamp the restaurant industry....FIRST: Get rid of the archaic pay system of "tipped" wage....i mean if you really care...no other modern country does it....been kept that way for decades by heavy funded restaurant lobbys... .so save the " were in this together " speech.
That’s the problem with restaurant groups they are too privileged and during a crisis they will hurt not only the economy but also prevent competition from occurring, I don’t patronize restaurant groups but rather the individual.
Please Danny live up to your statements and thoughts on the rebuilding of this industry, I believe you will. Hospitality, the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.
If you want to be a great employer when this is over, the best thing you can do for people is actually to be in business (solvent). The restaurant industry employs more people than the auto and airline industries, combined.