Hotels Could Have Food-and-Beverage Staffing Issues For Many Years To Come

Even as they struggle to get by day to day, hotels are looking to recruiting efforts to stabilize their operations.

Patrick Berwald, senior vice president of food and beverage for Pyramid Global Hospitality, said Pyramid has 180 full-service hotels and operates almost all the restaurants in those properties. He said there was a pandemic period when many employees decided to change industries — seeking less stressful careers.

But now, there has been a shift in the dynamic and hotels are selling and promoting themselves as employers again. But he stressed that “this is a challenge we will experience for many years to come. What occurred compounded underlying issues with work-life balance.”

While restaurants try to work with current conditions, they are also seeking to rebuild cultures that makes working in a hotel restaurant appealing and worthy of career consideration. Danny Py, vice president of food and beverage for management company First Hospitality, said there is an enhanced focus on scheduling with some markets offering three- to four-day workweeks.