Anyone who has ever had toworkas a chef or server at a restaurant, fast-food place, or hotel knows just how tough things can get. Not only is the job itself oftenvery stressful, with long hours and not enough recognition, but from time to time you also have to deal with rude customers and toxic managers.‘Kitchen Confidential’ is a verypopularonline group that draws in hundreds of thousands of food service industry and hospitality workers fromaround the world. Today, we’re featuring some of their most honest and wittiest posts and photos about what it’s like to be in their shoes. Scroll down to check them out. All of this might feel very relatable to you…This post may includeaffiliate links.
Anyone who has ever had toworkas a chef or server at a restaurant, fast-food place, or hotel knows just how tough things can get. Not only is the job itself oftenvery stressful, with long hours and not enough recognition, but from time to time you also have to deal with rude customers and toxic managers.
‘Kitchen Confidential’ is a verypopularonline group that draws in hundreds of thousands of food service industry and hospitality workers fromaround the world. Today, we’re featuring some of their most honest and wittiest posts and photos about what it’s like to be in their shoes. Scroll down to check them out. All of this might feel very relatable to you…
This post may includeaffiliate links.
RELATED:
Though failure rates can be hard to track, Investopedia reports that roughly a third (30%) of restaurantsfailwithin the first year of opening. Meanwhile, based on the data from the National Restaurant Association, 80% of such establishments end up shuttering their doors within the first 5 years of operating.The most important thing to consider before starting a new restaurant is the initial cost of purchasing it. Ideally, you should have far more money than just what you need to open the establishment. You may need to dip into your savings to sustain your operations until you start bringing in positive cash flow. And that means having a financial cushion that you can use to get through the tough times that may be ahead.
Though failure rates can be hard to track, Investopedia reports that roughly a third (30%) of restaurantsfailwithin the first year of opening. Meanwhile, based on the data from the National Restaurant Association, 80% of such establishments end up shuttering their doors within the first 5 years of operating.
The most important thing to consider before starting a new restaurant is the initial cost of purchasing it. Ideally, you should have far more money than just what you need to open the establishment. You may need to dip into your savings to sustain your operations until you start bringing in positive cash flow. And that means having a financial cushion that you can use to get through the tough times that may be ahead.
Some of the main start-up costs include things like finding a suitable space, leasing it, renovating it if needed, purchasing all the supplies you need to run the business, and paying the salaries of all your staff. Naturally, you’ll need to keep paying everyone good salaries on time; otherwise, you won’t have anyone in your corner anymore. You have to offer your staff stability and support, not excuses that you can’t make ends meet for timely payroll.Your success as arestauranteurdoesn’t just depend on all of your hard work (though that’s certainly a major factor). There’s a lot of luck involved, too. However, you can determine quite a lot of things that are going to impact your overall business and profit margins. You get to decide the location of the restaurant, the type offoodyou serve, the menu, who works at your business, the workplace culture, what the quality of the food and service will be like, etc.
Some of the main start-up costs include things like finding a suitable space, leasing it, renovating it if needed, purchasing all the supplies you need to run the business, and paying the salaries of all your staff. Naturally, you’ll need to keep paying everyone good salaries on time; otherwise, you won’t have anyone in your corner anymore. You have to offer your staff stability and support, not excuses that you can’t make ends meet for timely payroll.
Your success as arestauranteurdoesn’t just depend on all of your hard work (though that’s certainly a major factor). There’s a lot of luck involved, too. However, you can determine quite a lot of things that are going to impact your overall business and profit margins. You get to decide the location of the restaurant, the type offoodyou serve, the menu, who works at your business, the workplace culture, what the quality of the food and service will be like, etc.
Celeb chefs aside, restaurant profit margins tend to fall in the range of somewhere between 0% to 15%, with an average between 3% to 5%. So, every decision you make can make or break these already razor-thin profit margins.
The hospitality industry, which is a subsection of the service industry, is very broad and varied. It includes areas likefoodand beverage services, tourism, theme parks, event planning, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars, on top of sports, wellness, andentertainment. But broadly speaking, what unites most people working in this industry is that they provide a service to customers.
Owning and running a restaurant might sound like a dream come true, and many people hope to open one someday. However, from a practical, entrepreneurial, managerial, and financial point of view, it can be a massive challenge. If you don’t have any experience running a business, or if you’re super unlucky, your restaurant can fail, and you may have to declare bankruptcy.
So, while nobody’s trying to dissuade you from following your dreams of making it big in thefoodindustry, you should put a ton of effort into market research, create a solid business plan, and have people on your team whom you can trust. Even the best entrepreneur can’t be everywhere at once, 24/7. You need competent, well-trained, motivated managers and staff to whom you can delegate your tasks.
A big part of motivation and loyalty comes down to therelationshipsyou forge with your employees. First of all, you’ve got to get the basics right. That means offering a competitive salary, time off, proper training, room for personal and professional growth, healthcare, etc. On top of that, you want to ensure that you and your managers genuinely support your workers. Faking empathy won’t cut it here. If you want to avoid burnout, exhaustion, and demotivation, you’ve got to offer good work-life balance, actively listen to everyone’s problems, and give them a voice.
Employees are big fans ofautonomy, purposeful work, and growth. So, if you end up micromanaging your entire team, distrust everyone and anyone, and offer no raises or career opportunities, you shouldn’t be surprised if your team is demotivated and looking for better jobs. In the long term, you want to find a business approach that offers sustainable growth and authentically leads to a loyal workforce. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also far cheaper than having to constantly hire and train new people to replace those who have left in anger.
See Also on Bored Panda
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Modal closeAdd New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Add Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Add Your Photo To This List
Please use high-res photos without watermarks
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
You May LikeGuy Works 50+ Hours/Week Only For His Successor To Automate Everything And Have Nothing To DoIndrė Lukošiūtė“This Is Just Evil”: Servers Share The Most Infuriating ‘Tips’ They’ve Ever ReceivedSimona KinderytėServer Aghast After Coworker Reveals How She Deals With Customers Who Don’t Tip, Asks For OpinionsIeva Pečiulytė
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Simona Kinderytė
Ieva Pečiulytė
Work & Money