Are all Restaurants Understaffed now (2021)?

[elfenix 34243]

nsiap:

Quote

A Pew Research Center survey this year found that 66 percent of the unemployed had “seriously considered” changing their field of work, a far greater percentage than during the Great Recession. People who used to work in restaurants or travel are finding higher-paying jobs in warehouses or real estate, for example.

...

The average hourly rate in the hospitality sector is up roughly $1 compared to the pre-pandemic going rate. But the bigger issue appears to be that warehouses have hiked wages by more than a dollar and now pay $26 an hour on average — far more than the roughly $18 average in hospitality.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/05/07/jobs-report-labor-shortage-analysis/

 

tldr: situation is fluider

Edited May 10, 2021 by elfenix

[Knoxtnhorn 5976]

Unless you're working at a high end AND busy restaurant, it seems as if you can make better bank doing Grubhub or delivering for Amazon these days.  At the very least, it could be a wash with the advantage of choosing your own hours and not having to deal with rude customers (to a point).  

I worked at a pretty decent restaurant for years while putting my wife and then myself through college.  On my absolute best, hardest-working, good-tipping, Saturday night, 10 hour shifts, I'd make $150.  Today, I would have rather driven around for ~ 7 hours and made the same.

[Knoxtnhorn 5976]

I'd also add, for those that know the business well, there are probably a shitload more campers coming in these days than in the past.  

[workswithseed 2109]

24 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Deeper than you are dude.

Gonna answer my question?

[Trey3216 15346]

19 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

@tx 3 putt
 

Not really true at all.  Texas companies still pay waiters and bartenders $2.13 a hour only and not Minimum wage.    Texas benefits do not run out for waiters or bartenders in six months with covid as most of their money earned is in tips and not pay from the company they work for, therefore they are consider independent contractors and it was extended for their Texas benefits also.  There in lies the issue with why people are having a issue finding employees, unemployed waiters are making the federal bonus plus their state portion still until August.   So yes the reason is most are making the same if not more then they did while working.  

With tips I was making $25-35/hr waiting tables 20 years ago.   The $2.13/hr argument is utter bullshit.   

[Trey3216 15346]

11 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Independent restaurants run on string budgets as it is. Their perishable inventory is susceptible to many factors that cause them to only generate income during their small windows of customers. It’s easy to disrupt these windows. 
 

Deep freeze? Toss the food

Flood? Toss the food

Power out? Toss the food. 
 
The basic traditional structure is 1/3 food, 1/3 bills, 1/3 profit. The last third is incredibly elusive for many independent restaurants. 
 

May just need to live with a major retraction of restaurants or a major increase in price for eating out. There is no room in the current structure to drastically increase labor costs, and few owners are living lavishly off the backs of their underpaid servers. 

If you know a restaurant making 1/3 profit, I’d like to meet them.   A really well run restaurant maybe....maybe nets 12-13%.  Most net 10% at best.  

[Trey3216 15346]

50 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Unless you're working at a high end AND busy restaurant, it seems as if you can make better bank doing Grubhub or delivering for Amazon these days.  At the very least, it could be a wash with the advantage of choosing your own hours and not having to deal with rude customers (to a point).  

I worked at a pretty decent restaurant for years while putting my wife and then myself through college.  On my absolute best, hardest-working, good-tipping, Saturday night, 10 hour shifts, I'd make $150.  Today, I would have rather driven around for ~ 7 hours and made the same.

Then you worked at a shitty restaurant or were a shitty server.  I used to make $200+ on a Monday from 5-midnight and not in a fancy place 

[Enchubben 5510]

1 minute ago, Trey3216 said:

Then you worked at a shitty restaurant or were a shitty server.  I used to make $200+ on a Monday from 5-midnight and not in a fancy place 

Yea I was gonna say that seems off or maybe from like 30 years ago. Around 2007 I was making $150 on a 7 hour shift as a bus boy. 

[Chopper 17235]

13 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

With tips I was making $25-35/hr waiting tables 20 years ago.   The $2.13/hr argument is utter bullshit.   

I worked schlepping food and bar tending as a 2nd job in my younger days in DC and did alright. My younger BIL worked at a couple popular Austin restaurants as a waiter and for about 2 out of 3 nights, unless he was on a prime shift, his take home pay was absolutely pathetic, certainly not enough to sustain him. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant industry as a job for anyone.

[Brew 3049]

The economics of a restaurant where they pay $2.13 an hour is typically a restaurant where profitability is low because tables turn slowly, food costs and other costs are higher, etc. The only way for owners to make decent money in those deals is to have one that is ultra popular or own multiple restaurants. Fast casual places pay more because they turn more, employees serve more customers, tips are generally low if any at all, etc. When we eat at a nice restaurant, we typically overtip and we generally also tip at fast casual places that allow it. For those that say increase their pay, don’t complain when the cost of the meal increases proportionately. 

[HenryJames 66057]

Somehow the rest of the world has figured this out.

[workswithseed 2109]

6 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

Cry me a fucking river

It's funny until people have to close down since no one is coming in to work. I bet they'd love to get that government dole though. 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by workswithseed

[Hook1997 5354]

1 hour ago, HenryJames said:

Somehow the rest of the world has figured this out.

Are you sure about that......    A simple google search of Europe shortage of restaurant workers brings up articles from many countries with the exact same issue.

[Chopper 17235]

1 hour ago, workswithseed said:

It's funny until people have to close down since no one is coming in to work. I bet they'd love to get that government dole though. 

 

How many restaurants would have closed down had they not taken a PPP forgivable loan? (and many probably planning to take another one)

[workswithseed 2109]

1 minute ago, Chopper said:

How many restaurants would have closed down had they not taken a PPP forgivable loan? (and many probably planning to take another one)

Doesn't make the people slave owners.

[cactusflinthead 27598]

4 hours ago, workswithseed said:

Doesn't make the people slave owners.

This is par for the course at that Reddit

 worked dish for two years straight including all through covid without a single write up. Got a total of 1.50 in raises to make a grand total of 13.50(for 5 months before i quit)

Endless closes endlessly solo on dish for 600-700 customer days and it all came to a head when i finally got tendonitis

Managed to get two weeks for it to "heal" and talked to my GM for another week of rest and he said sure

Nope just one extra day

Two days back and the entire line lied to our closing manager about helping me and every single person left me to finish everything by myself. Got out 3 and a half hours after close. Also learned the whole time i was gone they helped the other dishies while i was on leave.

And my tendonitis returned the next day.

Quit the day before Mothers day and i have never been happier and i had a good nights sleep for the first time in forever.

I bust my ass for that kitchen and not a single soul can find it in themselves to muster a single piece of empathy to help their poor dishies even when their heads are below water and theyre drowning to death

fuck them fuck kitchens fuck the current restaurant industry.

Know your worth

 

 

The restaurant business grinds through workers. Labor supply wasn't great before covid. Read through the comments of the GMs on there. Interview 12 and get one to show, because I'm betting they had better offers not because they would rather be on the dole.

[Knoxtnhorn 5976]

9 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

Then you worked at a shitty restaurant or were a shitty server.  I used to make $200+ on a Monday from 5-midnight and not in a fancy place 

Yep.  You nailed it.  I was a shitty server.  Never mind.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Knoxtnhorn

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

This is par for the course at that Reddit

 worked dish for two years straight including all through covid without a single write up. Got a total of 1.50 in raises to make a grand total of 13.50(for 5 months before i quit)

Endless closes endlessly solo on dish for 600-700 customer days and it all came to a head when i finally got tendonitis

Managed to get two weeks for it to "heal" and talked to my GM for another week of rest and he said sure

Nope just one extra day

Two days back and the entire line lied to our closing manager about helping me and every single person left me to finish everything by myself. Got out 3 and a half hours after close. Also learned the whole time i was gone they helped the other dishies while i was on leave.

And my tendonitis returned the next day.

Quit the day before Mothers day and i have never been happier and i had a good nights sleep for the first time in forever.

I bust my ass for that kitchen and not a single soul can find it in themselves to muster a single piece of empathy to help their poor dishies even when their heads are below water and theyre drowning to death

fuck them fuck kitchens fuck the current restaurant industry.

Know your worth

 

 

The restaurant business grinds through workers. Labor supply wasn't great before covid. Read through the comments of the GMs on there. Interview 12 and get one to show, because I'm betting they had better offers not because they would rather be on the dole.

Not sure if this passage is supposed to be about a sympathetic figure or a limpdick shitbird, whose own peers told them to go fuck theirself.

[Neonmoon 38129]

9 hours ago, Brew said:

The economics of a restaurant where they pay $2.13 an hour is typically a restaurant where profitability is low because tables turn slowly, food costs and other costs are higher, etc. The only way for owners to make decent money in those deals is to have one that is ultra popular or own multiple restaurants. Fast casual places pay more because they turn more, employees serve more customers, tips are generally low if any at all, etc. When we eat at a nice restaurant, we typically overtip and we generally also tip at fast casual places that allow it. For those that say increase their pay, don’t complain when the cost of the meal increases proportionately. 

I won’t. 

[Ag with kids 581]

11 hours ago, Chopper said:

I worked schlepping food and bar tending as a 2nd job in my younger days in DC and did alright. My younger BIL worked at a couple popular Austin restaurants as a waiter and for about 2 out of 3 nights, unless he was on a prime shift, his take home pay was absolutely pathetic, certainly not enough to sustain him. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant industry as a job for anyone.

Poor college students probably aren't the best of tippers...

 

[Chopper 17235]

33 minutes ago, Ag with kids said:

Poor college students probably aren't the best of tippers...

 

Not if they had waited tables before. Besides, that's the fucking point. Some of your motherfuckers are so dense. An industry that demands front of the house employees take all of the risk of whether they're going to walk out the door having earned $5 an hour for their night or day, plus takes advantage of those employees at every opportunity they can, is not an industry I give a fuck about. Stay home. Cook. Buy the crap they sell in a box at the grocery store. Most restaurants suck and serve the same warmed over Sysco crap. Stop your fucking whining you annoying twats.

[LebongJames 1811]

I hate to make it more broad but it is a lower wage employment issue not just restaurants.

My wife is a NP and her medical practice here in Austin can’t find or keep MA’s. You know why they pay $15/hr.

I have been looking for supers ( this is not low income this more of an industry skilled labor shortage) and entry level helpers for months and have received very few super applications and less than five for helpers.

There is a major shortage in the low income hourly work place. 

[BabaYaga 15298]

12 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

With tips I was making $25-35/hr waiting tables 20 years ago.   The $2.13/hr argument is utter bullshit.   

Jesus this.  Have none of you sophomoric fucks ever waited tables?  Good staff make good money.  When many places tried to remove tips, staff complained because they saw a decrease in their take home.  A fixed wage just rewards under performers and adds an increased fixed cost to the business overhead in an industry with already thin margins.  Stupid.  

[billfromlaketravis 11482]

I haven't really noticed a drop off in Houston. Maybe I have to wait at the hostess stand for a couple extra minutes, food and drinks are a little slower to come out, probably one waiter working a section that would usually have two. No horror stories of waiting 30 minutes for a menu. 

Must restaurants have greatly improved their take out operations. Even the high end places are finally bending the knee and bringing food out to your car. This has been a positive development, we'll see if it continues. I'd imagine most of the to-go waiters would rather be waiting tables. 

[Chopper 17235]

Anyone notice an employee shortage at Buceee's? I didn't think so.

https://buc-ees.com/careers/

[CooterBrown 18013]

Fucking Tacorrido on Burnet pays $15/hour to start. They were starting at $14 several years ago when they opened.

At least pre-pandemic, Taco Deli only had full time employees with benefits. By only offering breakfast and lunch, they could run their restaurant with a single shift and it allowed for a reliable schedule and no part timers.  I was in the Spyglass location a few years ago and the manager was working on the monthly books right next to me.  I saw that that month that location had an gross of $2.2M.  Those tacos maybe have a $1 of ingredients and labor and sell for $3-5 each. 

I don't know what any of that amounts to other than maybe if you want a successful restaurant, sell tacos.

 

 

[cactusflinthead 27598]

20 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Anyone notice an employee shortage at Buceee's? I didn't think so.

https://buc-ees.com/careers/

 

[Brew 3049]

6 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Fucking Tacorrido on Burnet pays $15/hour to start. They were starting at $14 several years ago when they opened.

At least pre-pandemic, Taco Deli only had full time employees with benefits. By only offering breakfast and lunch, they could run their restaurant with a single shift and it allowed for a reliable schedule and no part timers.  I was in the Spyglass location a few years ago and the manager was working on the monthly books right next to me.  I saw that that month that location had an gross of $2.2M.  Those tacos maybe have a $1 of ingredients and labor and sell for $3-5 each. 

I don't know what any of that amounts to other than maybe if you want a successful restaurant, sell tacos.

 

 

I don’t know what a Taco Deli is, but it would be next to impossible for a fast casual type place to do $2.2M in a month from one location. I do work for high grossing McDonalds, CFA’s, other types and the high side is $550k a month. At a $20 average meal ticket open from 6-3 30 days a month, that is a 7 person a minute average out the door.

[Incredulity 11674]

11 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Fucking Tacorrido on Burnet pays $15/hour to start. They were starting at $14 several years ago when they opened.

At least pre-pandemic, Taco Deli only had full time employees with benefits. By only offering breakfast and lunch, they could run their restaurant with a single shift and it allowed for a reliable schedule and no part timers.  I was in the Spyglass location a few years ago and the manager was working on the monthly books right next to me.  I saw that that month that location had an gross of $2.2M.  Those tacos maybe have a $1 of ingredients and labor and sell for $3-5 each. 

I don't know what any of that amounts to other than maybe if you want a successful restaurant, sell tacos.

 

 

I would assume that the 2.2 was a YTD.  A single restaurant doesn't gross over 25million..

[CooterBrown 18013]

2 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

I would assume that the 2.2 was a YTD.  A single restaurant doesn't gross over 25million..

That makes sense. I do remember it is was in November so I guess you could extrapolate that out $2.4M a year which is solid for tacos.

 

[davidg 4038]

20 hours ago, cam4mav said:

28-32, two took account executive outside sales roles in wireless and the other took a job working for a bank doing something with mortgages after studying and taking a test / getting certified, I have a vague understanding of that one. 

[synoptic 138]

On 5/9/2021 at 7:08 PM, Hook1997 said:

The people that work at the restaurants I’ve been to have all said they can’t find employees, the ones working are doing doubles almost every day.  

I have a food service business.  One of my locations I've had to shut down completely due to lack of staff.  I've talked with several other owners and they are all having the same problem with staffing.  I think a combination of things have led to this, a primary one being that many workers in the food service business left the industry during the pandemic and have new jobs now.  This is the situation for my three best former managers. 

[CooterBrown 18013]

6 minutes ago, synoptic said:

I have a food service business.  One of my locations I've had to shut down completely due to lack of staff.  I've talked with several other owners and they are all having the same problem with staffing.  I think a combination of things have led to this, a primary one being that many workers in the food service business left the industry during the pandemic and have new jobs now.  This is the situation for my three best former managers. 

I wonder how much of it was that many restaurant workers didn't know they had viable options.  We tell every kid that if you don't go to college you're gonna dig ditches or work in the service industry. So, they do.  When forced to look for non-service industry work, they've found that they can have a professional job with good pay and benefits without a degree.  

[South Austin 52509]

15 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Fucking Tacorrido on Burnet pays $15/hour to start. They were starting at $14 several years ago when they opened.

At least pre-pandemic, Taco Deli only had full time employees with benefits. By only offering breakfast and lunch, they could run their restaurant with a single shift and it allowed for a reliable schedule and no part timers.  I was in the Spyglass location a few years ago and the manager was working on the monthly books right next to me.  I saw that that month that location had an gross of $2.2M.  Those tacos maybe have a $1 of ingredients and labor and sell for $3-5 each. 

I don't know what any of that amounts to other than maybe if you want a successful restaurant, sell tacos.

[Royalfan5 2354]

8 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I wonder how much of it was that many restaurant workers didn't know they had viable options.  We tell every kid that if you don't go to college you're gonna dig ditches or work in the service industry. So, they do.  When forced to look for non-service industry work, they've found that they can have a professional job with good pay and benefits without a degree.  

With all the Amazon warehouses and such, some folks really take to that kind of work. It's not for everybody, but I fucking loved slinging belts in a Goodyear warehouse as a in between gig. You don't have to talk to anyone, you get to move around all day, good break schedule, good hours. 

[BabaYaga 15298]

48 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Anyone notice an employee shortage at Buceee's? I didn't think so.

https://buc-ees.com/careers/

Apples and dump trucks. 

First, they are in general geographically isolated on the outskirts of small towns so attracting lower wage workers without means to commute is difficult.  Obviously their model is completely different as well when comparing this to fast food workers.  Their margins and cost structure is completely different from a traditional sit-down restaurant.  Compare them to their peers - Quick Trip, Speedway, etc which all pay on average in the mid to low teens.  Vastly different cost and revenue structures.  

 

[BabaYaga 15298]

5 minutes ago, Royalfan5 said:

You don't have to talk to anyone, you get to move around all day, good break schedule, good hours.

[synoptic 138]

1 minute ago, CooterBrown said:

I wonder how much of it was that many restaurant workers didn't know they had viable options.  We tell every kid that if you don't go to college you're gonna dig ditches or work in the service industry. So, they do.  When forced to look for non-service industry work, they've found that they can have a professional job with good pay and benefits without a degree.  

It's a great question.  I think not knowing the viable options is a contributing factor for some, but for my employees they had standing offers from others (friends, family, etc) to come work for them.  Many people just really love the food service business and so they never took those other opportunities.  They like working with the other staff (become like family), like having cash in their pocket at the end of each shift, generally don't have to worry about work stress once their shift is over.  Almost all of my former staff still texts me and say they miss it.  But if you have a stable job right now, the overall desire to come back to the food service industry right now is low.  The money is not necessarily better where they are at, but the jobs are more stable.  I don't blame them.  

[hayden_horn 11362]

we have been going out and about more lately since we're vaccinated. i think every place has a help wanted sign.

i have to laugh at those of yall that think people are actually staying on the dole willingly as though it is fucking easy street. getting access to those benefits is a job all on its own.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/26/texas-unemployment-economic-recovery/

Quote

And while some businesses are already seeing customers return, the numbers of people seeking unemployment aid surged in recent weeks to levels not seen since July. And many of them, like Jennifer Romeyn of Cypress, still face problems getting through to the state agency that’s weathered criticism for its lackluster responses to jobless Texans in the past year.

“To call it a nightmare, it's really just an understatement,” said Romeyn, an emergency room coding services manager who has waited several weeks for unemployment benefits. “I just keep praying every day that this money is going to appear in my account.”
 

no, they just found other work. you cannot have a massive industry disruption and expect things to just return to normal overnight without any kind of adaptation. 

i expect this to continue for the next couple of months, at minimum. 

even though, unemployment in texas is still a problem at 6.9%, but that's down from the initial shutdown which was over 12%. people generally actually want to work for a living. 

mix in fun factors like the winter storm, food shortages, and more people seeking food delivery, it's pretty easy to see why people aren't returning to what is actually a pretty shitty job. i love all the examples people are giving from two decades ago. things are not the same. tuition is completely different, rent is completely different. the austin economy is completely different.

 

[Trey3216 15346]

9 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

we have been going out and about more lately since we're vaccinated. i think every place has a help wanted sign.

i have to laugh at those of yall that think people are actually staying on the dole willingly as though it is fucking easy street. getting access to those benefits is a job all on its own.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/26/texas-unemployment-economic-recovery/

no, they just found other work. you cannot have a massive industry disruption and expect things to just return to normal overnight without any kind of adaptation. 

i expect this to continue for the next couple of months, at minimum. 

even though, unemployment in texas is still a problem at 6.9%, but that's down from the initial shutdown which was over 12%. people generally actually want to work for a living. 

mix in fun factors like the winter storm, food shortages, and more people seeking food delivery, it's pretty easy to see why people aren't returning to what is actually a pretty shitty job. i love all the examples people are giving from two decades ago. things are not the same. tuition is completely different, rent is completely different. the austin economy is completely different.

 

I gave the example of 2 decades ago, because my buddy that owns 2 high volume restaurants practically begged me to come back and work 1-2 nights/wk for a bit because they are having such problems staffing the place.  Bartenders are making $300-500/night right now on shifts from 4:30-midnight.  I could use an extra 600-1000/week, but it's not as easy to do at 40 with a 7 month old and a pregnant (again) wife as it was when I was 25 and single.  

He offered me whatever shift I wanted as well as not having to be on the regular schedule.  Work when and where I want.  I may still take him up on it and pay off my wife's car by the time baby #2 gets here. 

[workswithseed 2109]

8 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

I could make it rain. 

Make that money!

[synoptic 138]

I'm not knowledgeable in the politics or overall industry statistics, but in my interactions with current and former staff, stimulus checks have nothing to do with it.  They have found other jobs they perceive as more stable.  Many food service employees do not have much in savings and need steady income.  They are very hard working people and can tolerate an incredible amount of bullshit, but inconsistent income is major concern for them.

Regarding customers, there are some incredibly entitled folks out there these days.  I've gotten voice mails and emails cussing us out for not being open.  I've explained we just do not have sufficient properly trained staff.  They take personal offense at this.  

[irishtexan 11519]

The problem isn't just that there is a labor shortage. It's also that there is a restaurant surplus. 

[BabaYaga 15298]

26 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

tuition is completely different, rent is completely different. the austin economy is completely different.

Isn't that the point - that the UE & COVID benefits are higher than what you can make working.  I've filed for UE before.  While it's not fun, it's not like it takes all day.  The only recurring steps you have to take are uploading places you have "applied" at each week.  Takes maybe an hour a day?  Maybe.  

[bluto 4929]

The problem isn't just that there is a labor shortage. It's also that there is a restaurant surplus. 

This is something worth exploring, blows my mind how many restaurants there are and how many probably only get a smattering of orders some nights.

[Aqua Buddha 14597]

15 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Unless you're working at a high end AND busy restaurant, it seems as if you can make better bank doing Grubhub or delivering for Amazon these days.  At the very least, it could be a wash with the advantage of choosing your own hours and not having to deal with rude customers (to a point).  

I worked at a pretty decent restaurant for years while putting my wife and then myself through college.  On my absolute best, hardest-working, good-tipping, Saturday night, 10 hour shifts, I'd make $150.  Today, I would have rather driven around for ~ 7 hours and made the same.

This.  
 

You can make more working at Big Retail and also have benefits.  A lot of restaurants are still small operations but the HEB’s of the world bring better money, benefits, and room for advancement.

[Aqua Buddha 14597]

11 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

The problem isn't just that there is a labor shortage. It's also that there is a restaurant surplus. 

Ding ding ding.

Even before covid, there was going to be a reset in that industry.  Too many places, too high of costs, and the general customer base has an unreasonably low ceiling of what they want to pay.

[Underdog 28647]

14 hours ago, Enchubben said:

Yea I was gonna say that seems off or maybe from like 30 years ago. Around 2007 I was making $150 on a 7 hour shift as a bus boy. 

Dirk Diggler?

[Chopper 17235]

57 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Apples and dump trucks. 

First, they are in general geographically isolated on the outskirts of small towns so attracting lower wage workers without means to commute is difficult.  Obviously their model is completely different as well when comparing this to fast food workers.  Their margins and cost structure is completely different from a traditional sit-down restaurant.  Compare them to their peers - Quick Trip, Speedway, etc which all pay on average in the mid to low teens.  Vastly different cost and revenue structures.  

 

Bastrop, New Braunfels, Fort Worth, Katy, Go fuck yourself...

There's a labor shortage in many locations that laid workers off. Restaurants aren't entitled to an endless supply of chipper, hard working 25 year olds, not when there's better jobs out there.

[BabaYaga 15298]

1 minute ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Ding ding ding.

Even before covid, there was going to be a reset in that industry.  Too many places, too high of costs, and the general customer base has an unreasonably low ceiling of what they want to pay.

We all knew restaurants run on razor-thin margins.  Always have.  So now all the private shops are done, leaving nothing but chain shops.  Is this what we want?  Is this the outcome everyone is happy with?  Giant corporate chains that absolutely loved this pandemic as it utterly decimated smaller, privately owned business competition?  A little more than a "reset".

I get the "consolidation and inequality" argument, but this is a massive and mandated shift in market share.  Had this done the opposite, and decimated massive corporate organizations, you have to wonder if their leverage, money, and influence driven a different chain of behavioral events?