Restaurant workers are starved of benefits, report says

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 11, 2010

Despite the recession, the restaurant industry is thriving. Many of its workers, however, are not.

A new report from the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), a nonprofit organization that advocates better wages and work conditions for restaurant workers, revealed that 90 percent of industry staff members are not offered health insurance or sick days, 67 percent go to work sick, and 38 percent are forced to work off the clock.

Earnings also lag. Restaurant workers around the country on average made $12,868 in 2008 compared with $45,371 in the general private sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The authors surveyed more than 2,500 workers and 150 employers in five cities: Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, New York and Portland, Maine.

The reports tell two big stories, said Jose Oliva, ROC’s national policy coordinator: “One, the restaurant industry is resilient, even in the face of this Great Recession. The other is that the kind of jobs that are being created are not the kind of jobs we want to have in America when we come out of the recession.”

Restaurants took a hit during the economic downturn. But by July 2009, growth had returned. This year, the National Restaurant Association projects that the industry will employ nearly 13 million people. Revenues will rise 2.5 percent to $580 billion, or 4 percent of the gross domestic product.

“This report paints a distorted image of the restaurant industry and its employees while pushing the ROC’s agenda,” said Mike Donohue, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association. He cited data that showed 32 percent of adults get their first job experience in a restaurant, and many jobs lead to management and ownership. “The restaurant industry is proud of its diversity and unparalleled record of opportunity.”

The industry does provide some “good jobs,” which ROC defines as ones that pay a living wage, provide benefits and offer opportunities for advancement. But researchers found that white workers disproportionately claimed them. Workers of color, meanwhile, were concentrated in “bad jobs,” where the median hourly wage was $11.50 per hour — or $3.20 less per hour than their white counterparts earned.

When it comes to waiters and busers, the federal minimum wage is $2.13; there has not been an increase since 1991. In May, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) introduced the WAGES Act, which would increase it to $3.75 per hour three months after enactment. That rate would rise to $5.50 per hour by 2012.

The industry’s bad jobs hurt more than just workers; they harm society, Oliva said. Low wages and lack of job security lead to increased reliance on social-assistance programs, an indirect subsidy to employers engaging in poor practices. For example, ROC reported that 26.5 percent of workers said they or a family member had visited an emergency room without being able to pay for treatment.

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Crisis Management Checklist

This checklist is an assessment tool for those responsible for developing a crisis management plan for their company. If you are able to answer the following questions and complete the following information, you will have begun the process of developing your own customized blueprint for crisis management. Begin to gather materials into a three-ring binder as you customize the plan to your organization.

Crisis Management Checklist (16)

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Three Critically Important Steps for Success

By Stephen C. Thomas

There are many steps to success. I suppose if you listed them all there might be hundreds is you counted all the experts and all their suggestions. I think that there are three critically important steps for success. Without these three, your chances are slim!

Believe in what you want.

You have to believe that the task you want to accomplish is achievable and worthwhile. If you do not believe that what you want to do is within your ability to achieve or that it is not something that you should be wasting your time on then stop right now. You have little chance of ever being successful.

Now the goal in mind may not be something that you personally want to do, it might be something from your boss, but if you cannot find some way to believe in it, you are doomed.

If you do not believe it is something that you can ever do, if it seems unreachable, then you have little chance of reaching it. You will constantly defeat yourself with negative thinking about how no one could ever do what you have in mind to do.

Our thoughts and our beliefs are two thirds of the factors that create our realities. If we believe that something is impossible and we think it is impossible, then for us, it is impossible. Henry Ford said that whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.

You must put action behind your belief.

I said that belief and thought were two thirds of what creates our reality. Action is the final third. You can believe something is true, something is achievable, until you are blue in the face and if you put no action toward that goal, it will most likely never happen.

Some people who are believers in the law of attraction think that all they have to do is put their order out into the universe and the cosmos, like an eternal bell boy will make it happen. Good luck! We have to work for the things we want. Even if it is something as simple as reaching out your hand to take it, you have to put out some effort.

If you believe that what you want to do is within your ability to do, then you must not only plan for how you are to accomplish this feat, you must put those plans into action. You have to put some effort into getting where you want to be. You have to have some backbone, not just a wishbone.

Self Discipline

The last thing you need is self discipline. You have to be strong enough to take the action needed. You have to be able to face the small failures, and yes there will be some, and go on. You have to be able to be strong enough to work past the obstacles that you will meet. Think about it! Have you ever done anything that did not have a few hurdles to jump over?

This discipline might be in a schedule that you refuse to miss or a plan or task that must be carried out before you sleep. It might be the routine of saying over and over to yourself what it is you want to do and how you will not let anything stop you. Without self discipline, you will crumble at the first sign of difficulty. Strengthen your resolve to see the task done!

There you have it! The three critically important steps to success in anything you want to do are belief, action and self discipline!

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How To Get More Done In Your Restaurant

This video is part of a series of videos where I , Jonathan Munsell, answer questions and offer hard hitting comments that you can use to improve your restaurant immediately!

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Restaurant Success System and Restaurant Success Monthly provide these videos to help accelerate your Restaurant Success.  The videos are usually centered on Restaurant Operations, Restaurant Finance, Restaurant Marketing & Promotions or the Restaurant Management Tools and Restaurant Systems necessary to achieve higher sales and grow your restaurant or Catering profits by leaps and bounds

Restaurant Success System and Restaurant Success Monthly were both founded and created by Jonathan Munsell a very active restaurant owner and advocate for the industry.  Jonathan Currently owns several restaurants and a catering company.

For more information or to view all the videos in the series go to www.RestaurantGoldMine.com

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Effectively Manage Your Restaurant and Your Life.

Effectively Manage Your Restaurant and Your Life.

If you’re like most restaurant owners, you have more to do than
time to do it.

But too many Restaurant Owners get so wrapped up in their business, they forget to take care of the other aspects of their lives. And the results can be devastating! Families are neglected, friends are lost, and the physical and mental health of the restaurant owner declines. (Just to name a few.)

So here are some tips for being able to successfully manage your company and your life:

• Put systems into place- mistakes are made when processes are not systematized. When processes are consistent, fewer mistakes are made and there are fewer fires to put out.
• Take a day off- despite the temptation to work a 7-day week, take at least one day for yourself. You will see your productivity and your health improve. (Not to mention how happy your family will be to see you.)
• Go home- set a time schedule for yourself. Schedule the number of hours you will work and stick to that plan.
• Set your priorities- there’s always another crisis to solve. So be sure to make special occasions with friends and family a top priority. Don’t allow a restaurant “emergency” to hold you back. After all, there’s bound to be another one tomorrow.
• Automate your business- this is sometimes  an odd topic for restaurant owners, but there are many places to automate your restaurant and I am not just talking about the POS System. If you haven’t taken the time to realize the value of automation, do so soon. Places you can automate – Any recurring task like weekly emails or marketing mailers, costing your food, paying your bills can even be automated and save you a ton of time. With your business on auto-pilot you have more time for other things.

None of the stuff in this email is new to you. You know it all. But unless you are willing to take these suggestions to heart, you will never be able to effectively manage your life.

And remember, nobody ever lay on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the Restaurant!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics I present and their link to True Restaurant Success. Please do not hesitate to share – Leave a Comment

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How to Avoid Hiring Mistakes in Your Restaurant FOREVER!

Jonathan Munsell Interviews Hiring and Performance Expert Jay Henderson
In our conversation Jay reveals the 7 biggest hiring mistakes restaurant make and how to avoid them.  Plus Jay and Jonathan dive into the 9 Secrets to Great Hiring for Your Restaurant .  This is a don’t miss audio.  Have a pad and pen available because Jay gives it all away and if you are there to grab it you it you certainly will reap the rewards.

download to your MP3 or Ipod Right Click Here : How To Avoid Hiring Mistakes FOREVER

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Health Care Reform Continues to Be a Moving Target

As many of you know I am a Board Member of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association as well as an active Restaurant Owner.  This is hot off the presses from the NCRLA and I think it does a great job of quickly and clearly explaining where we are as a nation on health care reform and how it effects the business owners like you and I.  Your state may have a couple other options or a slightly different spin on this but as a whole it applies nationally to all of us.

The Health Care reform debate has dominated news headlines in recent months.  It is a difficult issue and many dollars are being spent on both sides of the debate. As always, NCRLA, NRA, and AH&LA continue to fight for fair treatment of our industry in any bill that should be constructed.  Currently the architecture of the bills being discussed by the House and Senate are constantly changing and being revised.   The following is an update on the current state of the issue.

The Latest:
On Tuesday, October 12, the Senate Finance Committee passed an $829 billion plan which it hopes will extend health care coverage to an additional 29 million Americans.  The next step for the bill is a formal debate in the full House and Senate.

Some Details on the recently passed bill:

•    The bill would be paid for in part by cutting spending on several health care programs — including Medicare — by roughly $400 billion. Another $200 billion would be generated by imposing a new tax on high-end health care policies, called “Cadillac” plans by critics.

•    New fees would be imposed on drug and insurance companies, medical device manufacturers and other industries tied to the health care sector.

•    Individuals would be required to purchase coverage or face a fine of up to $750

•    Companies with more than 50 full-time workers would have to pay a fee of up to $400 per employee if they do not offer health insurance.

•    Businesses with 25 or more employees would be required to offer insurance or pay a fine of $750 a year for each employee not covered.

•    As a way to stimulate competition and drive down premiums, the bill would provide $6 billion toward the creation of non-profit, member-run health insurance companies in each state.

•    If the House and Senate manage to pass health care reform bills, a conference committee would then negotiate a final version requiring approval from both chambers before going to Obama for his signature.

Affect on Hospitality Industry
Obviously the mandates proposed in this bill would greatly affect small businesses in our industry.  It remains unclear what the ultimate definition of “full-time” will be in any final bill that is agreed on between the House and Senate, but in the Senate version of the bill part-time employees are not mandated to be covered by their employers.

There are possible subsidies that would allow employers offering health insurance to their employees to be eligible for a tax credit.

•    Employers with fewer than 25 employees and paying an average annual wage of less than $40,000 would be eligible for a tax credit of up to 50% of the employer’s contribution toward the employee’s health insurance premium. The credit would vary depending on the company’s size and level of contribution toward employee premiums.

•    The addition of the non-profit health insurance companies in each state could end up driving costs down for premiums, however it appears that there will still be no way to shop for health insurance across state lines, which could have driven down costs even further.

As always, we will keep you updated on any breaking news.  We continue to fight for fair treatment of the industry on our member’s behalf, and look forward to a positive resolution to this issue.

Let me know what you think of the current Health Care Reform discussions and the effect on you and our industry.

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An in-depth look at H1N1 flu

An in-depth look at H1N1 flu

Since the H1N1 flu was first identified in the spring of 2009, restaurants and small businesses around the world have sought to minimize the risks of the flu for their customers and their employees. The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic, and the U.S. government has issued guidelines to help businesses and consumers alike. Although H1N1 flu cannot be transmitted through food, the restaurant industry is tackling the pandemic full on. Many restaurants are offering hand sanitizer, providing more lenient leave schedules for employees and posting best practices. This H1N1 Flu Special Report offers information on what H1N1 is and what restaurants, consumers and the government are doing to protect against the pandemic. Part 1, published Tuesday, Sept. 29, offered an H1N1 overview, examples of how restaurants are responding and best practices ideas. Part 2, below, focuses on the government’s role, how consumers are responding and risk-management tactics.

Government

• Government issues H1N1 flu tips to small businesses
  After issuing H1N1 flu guidelines for larger businesses, the Obama administration offered similar advice to small businesses. New guidelines suggest that small-business owners consider telecommuting and lax leave policies as viable ways to ward off potential outbreaks at work. The Wall Street Journal/Washington Wire blog (9/14)
• Check out the guide for small businesses.
• Homeland Security: Send sick employees home
  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security advised businesses to send sick workers home to prevent the possible spread of H1N1 flu. “If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers,” the federal H1N1 flu guidebook said. American City Business Journals/Phoenix (9/14)
• Find out what else the government is doing to combat H1N1 flu.

	Prepare for H1N1 with a Toolkit from NRA and Ecolab The National Restaurant Association and Ecolab have developed a toolkit to help restaurants fight H1N1 flu and help prevent spread of influenza among employees and guests. The toolkit provides information and guidelines to help prepare for and prevent a flu outbreak. BE PROACTIVE. Download the toolkit at www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/toolkit.cfm.

Consumer Response

• More adults worried about getting H1N1 flu, poll says
  A USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,007 U.S. adults found that more people were worried about H1N1 flu, with one in three saying they or a family member probably would get the flu, up from one in five in a May survey. About 17% of those polled said they were worried they would get the flu, up from 8% in June, and 55% now say they will get vaccinated, an increase of 9%. USA TODAY (9/1)
• Clinics tell flu patients to call before coming in
  Some clinics are trying to keep flu patients from spreading the virus by asking them to call first and not come in unless their illness turns severe. Clinics also are passing out face masks to staff and to all patients who show up with H1N1 symptoms, and HealthPartners hot-line nurses are prescribing antivirals for high-risk patients so they can go directly to the pharmacy. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (9/24)

Risk Management

• Disinfecting hands, surfaces can help stem spread of H1N1 flu
  Disinfecting bathroom fixtures, doorknobs and handrails in public places can go a long way in preventing the spread of H1N1 flu, writes Chris Wiant, CEO of Caring for Colorado Foundation in Denver. Also helpful is washing hands with hand sanitizers. USA TODAY (8/31)
• Strategies for coping with an H1N1 flu outbreak
  Many small-business owners worry how they will be able to keep their doors open if an H1N1 flu outbreak affects large numbers of their staff. Experts suggest they disinfect surfaces frequently, pay for employees’ flu shots and train workers to do one another’s jobs. The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (9/16)

NRA Resources

NRA offers H1N1 flu info center
The National Restaurant Association and Ecolab have developed a toolkit to help the restaurant industry fight H1N1 flu and prevent the spread of influenza viruses in restaurants. The toolkit includes information to help prepare for and prevent an influenza outbreak at your location. Listen to our webinar, H1N1: What You Need to Know About the Influenza Pandemic, and visit H1N1 Flu: Resources for Restaurateurs for more

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Turn Problems Inside Out When Seeking Solutions

Some problems require fresh, innovative thinking. One way to search for creative solutions is to remember the acronym SCAMPER:

• Substitute. Replace an element that’s part of the problem. Use a   different material, ingredient, or person and see what happens.
• Combine. Put elements together. If you can’t decide whether to use salt or pepper in a recipe, try both.
• Adapt. Look outside the problem for someone you can use to address it. Velcro was invented by someone who looked closely at how burrs stuck to clothing and adapted the idea.
• Minimize or maximize. Make something smaller or larger. Instead of targeting the mass market with a new product, for example, maybe you can find a small niche to sell it to.
• Put things to a different purpose. Look for a different application. Instead of an entrée, maybe what you’ve cooked could be an appetizer or dessert.
• Eliminate. Look for elements you don’t need. Often we include steps in a process out of habit, for example, whether they still serve the original purpose or not.
• Rearrange. Put the elements in a different order or reverse them completely. You spot what’s missing more easily in a new arrangement.

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