Who made this?

Let's say that you are a skilled cook looking for work.  Just something to make some cash because you have no other job.  Let's also say that you have no other commitments except room & board, some bills, and your fun lifestyle.  And finally, let's say that you have no issues working at different hours.  So, why would you be unemployed at all?

Even though I am employed at 5 different places, I do spend some time combing the "want ads" for work.  You just never know what you may find that may catch your fancy.  I spend a lot of time looking at ads for food & beverage industry work.  There is a lot of work in New York City for line cooks.  They probably don't offer the best places to work but then again, they pay, so why not take a job?

I guess there is a need for good cooks out there.  God knows there are a bunch of people graduating from cooking schools all over this island.  So, why don't we take on these line cook jobs?  Because they pay shit.  And on top of that the places that would look good on your resume, pay worse.  Plus, the working conditions of some of these places are just atrocious.

It's really difficulty working in the Food & Beverage industry in New York City.  Most of the jobs are just lousy.  And nobody wants to change that.  Most employers just want to hire cheap labor.  It used to be that they could hire illegals easily but that is changing.  More and more, everything has to be on the books.  Even a friend of mine you used to bank on people accepting cash as pay is no longer doing it.  Too many people are reported and businesses fined.

So, what do you do?  I don't know.  I am lucky to be in a position where my skills have been recognized quite quickly.  I don't get paid that well but I also don't get paid less than $15.  It's about what the industry standard is.  For my own sanity, I do accept that rate.  I work hard for about 4 months, then turn around and ask for more.  I do work in a way that makes me invaluable by the end of 3 months.  Am I ready to walk if they don't give me the pay I want?  Remember what I said about working for 5 different places?

I find it sad that, as an industry, we won't change.  Not sure who's to blame.  Would it really destroy a restaurant to offer just a bit more money to the person who actually prepares the food?  If you think about it, no matter how beautiful the ambiance is, or how amazing the waitstaff is, or how cheap the food is, if it is bad, nobody is coming back.  So, who is in charge of that?  The cook. 

Maybe that's why so many cooks are unemployed.  Why bother trying to do something that you aspired to do when you really don't get appreciated for it?  Later.

Labels: Change, Employment

  ¶ 1:05 PM