TaChelle Lawson is the founder of FIG Strategy & Consulting, and a member of the Bar & Restaurant Executive Council. She is speaking in two sessions at Bar & Restaurant Expo (formerly Nightclub & Bar Show), a live, in-person event held March 21-23, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “Dynamic Growth Through Inclusive Culture” and the “Equity vs. Equality” panel.
Earlier this month, The ONION, the satirical news site notorious for shedding light on issues that many Americans are too uncomfortable to talk about, ran a piece about diversity in a fictional Chicago restaurant. In it, a “local man” expresses astonishment at the diversity of the fictional restaurant’s kitchen staff. “They must have an amazing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program!”, he thinks to himself about the bus boys, dishwashers, and line cooks.
The article's conclusion delivers the punch: the “only” position in the kitchen held by a white man is the head chef. And therein lies the problem - not only in this fictional kitchen, but in the standard approach to DEI. DEI is NOT simply an HR function, nor is it just putting people of color in an ad campaign. As the ONION made clear, it cannot be measured by the number of minorities hired.
DEI must be embedded into a company’s culture and become a way of life throughout the organization. Scrambling to hire minorities and women or throwing together a PowerPoint about cultural sensitivity is not only an affront to the actual nuance and breadth of DEI work, it’s a complete waste of time and money.
Without making DEI a priority, high turnover and lack of results will speak for themselves. In the hospitality industry, already infamous for high turnover, this is not a good look.
And of course, venues that embrace a culture of DEI enjoy the benefits of the ‘diversity dollar,’ which I presented on last year.
DEI aside, hospitality is already notorious for hiring bodies - not ensuring fit. It’s almost like, at some point in time a collective decision was made to simply accept that the industry has a high turnover rate. And rather than fix the problem, managers should just hire with the assumption that whoever is hired won't be there for long anyway.
It should go without saying that in order to make DEI a priority, leadership within the hospitality industry must understand that these issues are intimately intertwined and must be addressed as such. Retention can’t be fixed without addressing DEI, and DEI can’t be fixed without addressing retention.
Then there is the other elephant in the room: hospitality is widely known for not having the healthiest working environments, especially in terms of work-life balance. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed an uncomfortable light on the prevalence of burnout and work-related stress, and hospitality was no stranger to this phenomenon even before 2020. If you have spent even a few weeks working in a restaurant or hotel you know this firsthand, otherwise a quick Google search of “hospitality worker burnout” will tell you more than you need to know. In an era that has been dubbed “the great resignation”, hospitality workers are quitting the fastest. Health risks associated with COVID, burnout, and industry volatility are the top three reasons for the exodus as cited by hospitality workers who have left the industry.
Creating an environment built on culture and providing memorable experiences is how DEI can be most impactful to a business. A job does not have to be glamorous to be a good fit. A company does not have to put on a show of virtue signaling to improve diversity. Hospitality is hard work. Working nights and weekends and dealing with difficult customers is not for the faint of heart. The solution for the hospitality industry’s DEI and retention problems is not to pretend otherwise, but to provide an environment where industry workers feel safe, heard, and valued.
Management is a great place to start.
A sentiment echoed frequently by hospitality workers leaving the industry is that management was unsupportive, not understanding, and in many cases just straight up mean. Sexual harrassment and assault is reported at an unacceptable level. The consensus that management exists to serve the customer, rather than lead a team, is prevalent. On top of that, 80.9% of restaurant management positions are held by white employees while only 7% are held by black employees. So, not only do workers feel unsupported, in many cases they also do not see themselves reflected in management.
Why would they stay?
Fortunately, as The ONION article (unintentionally) pointed out, the hospitality industry already has the groundwork laid out to become a legitimate leader in DEI. Getting a diverse workforce in the door has already been done. In restaurants alone, women comprise 54% of all restaurant workers and women of color make up nearly half. The work that remains to be done is developing the diverse talent that already exists within the industry.
Training and mentorship programs need to be expanded so promotions and leadership positions are accessible and desirable to everyone. A culture of support and inclusion needs to be the norm, and managers need to value and respect their team in the same way they value and respect their customers. Employees at every level need to understand and feel connected to the company’s overall goals, values, and strategy. Collaboration needs to be valued over competition.
The last two years have been hard on the hospitality industry. Beloved restaurants and bars across the country have closed their doors for good. The former level of service and personal connection many hotels proudly provided had to be scaled back in the name of safety. Layoffs were and are still prevalent. But hospitality workers are resilient, and the industry will survive. Whether it will thrive again will depend on how it responds to the changing landscape of what it means to be a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive business.
Tickets to Bar & Restaurant Expo are still available here. Find the full conference schedule here.
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