Restaurant employment hit pre-pandemic levels in 2026, but 28% of locations cut weekend service due to staffing issues. Labor costs jumped from 30% to 35% of expenses while discouraged workers in food service rose 80%. Operators respond with automation - AI ordering, self-service tech, and ghost kitchens.
How to navigate the annual workforce transition when student workers return to class
Real-world analysis of AB 1228's first year reveals complex mix of wage gains, job impacts, and industry transformation
Between strategy and execution sits the role that actually determines success.
Raising wages doesn't solve turnover. These benefits do.
The era of single-location ownership is ending. Multi-unit groups are taking over.
Most training programs don't work. Here's how to build one that does.
The industry complains it can't find workers while offering poverty wages, erratic schedules, and toxic conditions. That's not a shortage. That's a refusal to compete.
Define retention clearly and connect training with documented career paths.
Minimum wage varies wildly across the U.S., and fast food workers are often at the center of the debate. Here's what QSR employees actually earn in every state—and why some are making $23/hour while others are stuck at $7.25.
EXCERPT:
The generation that built the QSR franchise empire is aging out. Most don't have succession plans, and the buyers waiting in the wings want very different deal terms than the ones boomers signed.