Nearly half (47%) of U.S. food and beverage managers cite staff recruitment, retention and training as primary challenges, according to a recent Expert Market report sponsored by Toast.
And, nearly 82% of U.S. restaurant and foodservice businesses are actively hiring.
“The food and beverage industry continues to be a complex landscape to navigate in 2024. Our survey findings show that while hospitality is very much a people-centered business, looking after staff as much as customers should be a high priority for business owners in this sector,” says Expert Market’s editor Chris Maillard. “Labor shortages are really starting to bite in this sector. Owners and managers should use all available tools to prevent staffing issues. For instance, using software to efficiently manage time, payroll, inventory and more can help to keep a business’s most valuable asset - their employees - happy and loyal. Emphasizing a healthy work-life balance through implementing flexible work arrangements, particularly for jobs with higher turnover rates, and recognizing staff efforts can also be efficient ways to potentially increase job satisfaction and loyalty.”
Key takeaways:
- A 2023 study by Toast found that 30% of staff in the restaurant industry are at risk of leaving in the next 2 years, highlighting an equally concerning high turnover rate within this sector.
- The future of staffing in the food and beverage industry projections suggest that the labor shortage problem could prevail into the future, as over one-quarter (26%) of food and beverage businesses believe staffing shortages will only worsen over the next 12 months.
