How restaurant wages, menus, and more should change after COVID-19 | Opinion

There’s no doubt about it: The nation’s hospitality industry has taken a severe punch to the gut due to the pandemic. With $255 billion in lost food service sales and more than 110,000 reported restaurant closures since last March — including dozens in Philadelphia — it’s past time to take stock of the food industry and its future.

That’s what we did on March 22. More than 1,000 food innovators, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts registered to attend a virtual event hosted by Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., to reflect on the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, share lessons learned, and discuss how the food and hospitality industries can emerge more resilient. We were joined by industry leaders from coast to coast who brought varying experiences to the table. During the pandemic, some felt the sense of community and togetherness among their fellow restaurateurs, while others felt they were fighting on their own to keep their doors open.

What did we learn over these past difficult months that will guide our work and our industry as the country begins to emerge from the pandemic? Never before on such a wide scale have we had the opportunity to comprehensively reassess everything from best practices and staffing to work-life balance.

As restaurants paused and then resumed their operations, two issues long discussed among industry leaders have been magnified: tipping and wages, and appropriately pricing menus. The front and back of the house staff members fulfill different roles, but work best when they interact as a team. Yet, an income disparity exists, mainly because servers receive tips that are not typically shared with kitchen support staff. We see the movement toward equal, shared tipping creating a fairer compensation structure and enhancing team culture across restaurant staff.

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In spite of all the workers who have lost employment due to restaurant and bar closures, the restaurant industry is now facing a labor shortage. Two reasons for this are the level of wages and expectations for the long hours required to run a successful establishment that are not conducive to work-life balance. For so long, many restaurant owners have operated on a razor-thin margin of profit. We all have to acknowledge that labor is expensive and food is expensive. Menu prices, staffing, and wages all need to be reimagined accordingly.

We know many customers have been away from their favorite establishments for more than a year and will return with higher expectations. High standards for food safety, cleanliness, and sanitation have long been embedded in the education and training culinary institutions like Johnson & Wales teach students. As a result of COVID-19, restaurants have become and are likely to remain more transparent in showing their customers the steps we are taking to keep everyone safe, with sanitation and cleanliness positioned to be strong marketing tools moving forward.

More than a year into the pandemic, we have also seen innovations such as outdoor dining bubbles in places with colder winter climates like New England and Chicago. In cities like San Francisco, ordinances were passed quickly to enable restaurants that did not have space outdoors to set up makeshift tables on public sidewalks and streets.

» READ MORE: How these Philadelphia restaurants are not only surviving the pandemic, they’re ‘doing well’

As we work to emerge from this pandemic stronger than before — continuing to advocate for vaccine access among frontline workers like restaurant staff who risk their health to serve the general public — it is imperative that our customers join us. Continue to support your favorite local establishments. With changing guidelines and regulations, it can be difficult to stay informed of the latest restrictions and policies in place. Call your favorite spot. Ask them about their safety protocols. If you’re not yet comfortable dining out, order takeout directly from your favorite place to ensure they are maximizing their revenue.

For more than a year now, restaurateurs have shown that they can take a hit. We have taken stock of what works and what needs to be changed. Now it’s time to put those changes in motion.

Jason Evans is dean of Johnson & Wales University College of Food Innovation & Technology. Emeril Lagasse and Aarón Sánchez are chefs and restaurateurs. Chef Lagasse owns a restaurant in Bethlehem, Pa.