I am a chef myself. I started working as a chef in the business when it officially opened in 2012. I have been working in the catering industry for 10 years. Based on what I have seen and heard, let me talk about why the chef industry has become one of the most difficult industries to recruit?

First: There are fewer people learning to be chefs, but more and more restaurants are opening.

At present, the majority of young people are those born after 2000. I have been pampered since childhood and cannot bear the hardships of life, nor can I bear the hardships of a high-intensity job like a chef, with long working hours and a lot of chores!

Second: There is no fixed rest day and the working environment is not ideal

Chefs are in the service industry. Saturdays, Sundays, and New Year’s holidays are the busiest times in the catering industry, and However, it is difficult for chefs to rest and spend time with their families, so they can only work hard in silence, especially during the May Day holiday. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day and Spring Festival, chefs often work intensively for 12 hours for several consecutive days. At noon, except for the meal time, the store is stocked and processed. On the one hand, I envy others that they can travel, eat, drink and have fun, but on the other hand, I have to work hard, and generally there is no such thing as three times the salary.

The working environment in the kitchen, the cold water in winter is biting. People who are roasted by the high temperature in summer sweat like rain. In winter, the ingredients in the refrigerator are stored with water and cannot be used at all. In winter, it’s a nightmare to cut and match, and you’ll get a few frostbites on your hands. In summer, we have to endure the torture of high temperature. The outdoor temperature is 38-40 degrees. Think about the temperature in the kitchen. Basically, the work clothes are soaked after the rush hour in the morning. Many of my colleagues who studied cooking with me have changed their careers and started real estate, working in factories or selling home appliances.

Third: The work effort is not proportional to the income, and the benefits are poor

Being a chef is not a nine-to-five job. Moreover, it is a very long and intense job. I arrive at the store around 8:30 in the morning and get off work at around 9:30 in the evening. The working hours are too long every day, basically around 11 hours. But with a meager income. There is no advantage at all compared to the factory. Welfare is poor. Most catering companies do not pay social security and provident funds, only some chain store managers. Assistants, chefs and above will pay for social security, and the provident fund for the entire chef industry is good if it is 5%, which is very few! Larger restaurants have double wages on holidays, but small restaurants don't. There are no year-end bonuses during the Chinese New Year, and there are no gift benefits during the holidays.

Fourth: Limited development space

You can only learn to be a chef and become a chef. It is too difficult to develop beyond that. It is not just cooking skills, but more importantly, interpersonal relationships. , the clique relationship in the chef team is complex, and wherever there are people, there are gangs. The transition from apprentice to head chef is basically the middle point in this industry. There are very few successful cases of self-employment. I have many friends who opened small restaurants for five or six years and finally closed down. The couple worked in the store for many years and earned about the same as working part-time!

Fifth: Catering Since Operation CD-ROM, all high-end consumption and eating and drinking with public funds have been restricted, and the catering industry has entered a period of low ebb. The hotel business is sluggish, and the store's "kill rate" is very high. The job of a chef is relatively unstable, and sometimes he changes jobs 3-4 times a year. Can't save money. And many employers want to find a versatile chef at a relatively low price. For example, some restaurants hope that in addition to cooking, the cooking chefs can also help with cutting, cold dishes, or washing dishes! For example, I used to be the head chef of a chain store, and the store gave me recruitment standards. Those who cook on stoves earn between 4,500 and 5,500, and the salary of 5,500 is for high-end stoves. Some individuals who are capable can join a senior furnace for 6,000 yuan a month. The cut-off salary was between 4,000 and 4,500. With this salary, it was difficult to find satisfactory chefs from the society. Later, the company recruited apprentices from technical schools and trained them themselves. This will minimize labor costs.

Sixth: The industry is becoming more and more formalized, and various assessment mechanisms are sound

Nowadays, chefs are not only as simple as making good dishes, but also 5 normal management and 4D management methods. Various standards, various positioning. Color point distinction of various colors. Routine inspections by the company's technical department and quality inspection department. Being a chef is based on cooking.

You also have to complete the boss's various indicator assessments. Labor costs. Food cost, energy consumption cost. Dianping. Turnover rate. Turnover indicators, etc. The boss will only paint a pie for you, but will never actually give you a salary increase! In short, it is difficult for young people to work under such restrictions for a long time. They will leave and change careers after working for about half a year.

Finally, let me write down some of my life insights. I work in Suzhou. The epidemic first broke out in Suzhou in February this year, and stores were forced to close. Without a job, there was no income, but the mortgage and living expenses for the children could not be stopped, so I found a part-time job in a factory. I happened to be assigned to work in the warehouse. When I was not busy, I chatted with the masters there. Most of them have bought houses and cars in Suzhou. I have basically worked in this factory for about 7-8 years. There is a master who has worked in this factory for 13 years and has paid social security and provident fund for 13 consecutive years. He is currently a foreman and can earn more than 7,000 yuan a month after deducting social security and provident funds. Provident fund loans for buying a house have very low interest rates. The monthly repayments are currently very low. Two suites in Suzhou. A suite in my hometown. One step car. I don't have much education, but I found a job in this factory right after I graduated from junior high school and worked stably for 13 years. Buy a house and a car in Suzhou.

And I have been working in the chef industry for 10 years, but I can only buy a house in my hometown, and I have only paid social security for about 5 years. It will be 15 years in 2 years. There is also annual leave every year, and you can spend time with your family during holidays. But I have nothing! If you think about it carefully, you are indeed in the wrong industry. In fact, I regret it very much. If I had the chance to choose again, I would definitely not choose the profession of chef again!

Finally, I would like to ask everyone, are you still persisting after learning to be a chef? What industries did those who gave up switch to?