The Faces Behind the Food (Restaurants USA, November 2001)

November 2001 issue

The Faces Behind the Food

Restaurants USA magazine's final issue was published in September 2002 but these archived articles remain available for our readers' convenience.

Restaurants USA, November 2001

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 4 percent of all employed men, 6 percent of all employed women and 20 percent of all employed teenagers worked in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations in 1999. Currently, the restaurant industry employs 11.3 million people, and the National Restaurant Association
By Joy LaGreca

As the cornerstone of career-and-employment opportunities, the restaurant industry employs 8 percent of all U.S. workers, making it the nation’s number-one, private-sector employer. Restaurant Industry Employee Profile, a National Restaurant Association publication that analyzes published and unpublished 1999 and 2000 BLS data, finds that the typical employee in a foodservice occupation is:

• female (57 percent)

• under age 30 (57 percent)

• a high school graduate or less (71 percent)

• single, including those who never married or are separated, divorced or widowed (70 percent)

• living in a household that includes relatives (82 percent), two or more wage earners (81 percent) and is close to the U.S. household income average

• a part-time employee who works an average of 25.6 hours per week
• an individual with a relatively short job tenure.

The female perspective

The presence of women remains strong in today’s work force, especially in foodservice occupations. In 1999, women comprised 46 percent of the total employed civilian labor force. By comparison, females represented 57 percent of those employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations as well as 55 percent of workers in eating-and-drinking places.

In addition to employing a high percentage of women, the restaurant industry provides female workers with job mobility and growth opportunities. In 1999, women comprised 68 percent of foodservice supervisors. Women also were the predominant employees among waitstaff (77 percent), kitchen workers (68 percent), food-counter workers (64 percent) and part-time foodservice employees (68 percent). In 1999, men were more likely to be full-time foodservice employees (58 percent) than women.

Diversity at work

The 2000 U.S. Census revealed a significant increase in the number of minorities in the United States, especially the Hispanic community. That trend is reflected in the restaurant industry. In 1999, people of Hispanic origin accounted for both 16 percent of eating-and-drinking-place employees and persons employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations—up from 12 percent in 1992. By comparison, Hispanics accounted for only 10 percent of all employed civilians in 1999.

The number of Hispanic supervisors in the restaurant industry also rose during the past decade, increasing from 7 percent in 1992 to 12 percent in 1999. Hispanics also worked as cooks (20 percent), waitstaff assistants (19 percent) and miscellaneous food-preparation workers (26 percent).

The percentage of African-Americans who work in the restaurant industry compared with the entire civilian labor force is relatively similar. In 1999, 12 percent of all persons employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations and 10 percent of all eating-and-drinking-place employees were African-American. By comparison, African-Americans accounted for 11 percent of all employed civilians.

The percentage of African-Americans employed as foodservice supervisors rose to 13 percent in 1999. African-Americans also held such restaurant-industry positions as cooks (17 percent), miscellaneous food-preparation workers (13 percent) and kitchen workers (13 percent).

Young Americans

In general, employees in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations tend to be younger than those employed in other occupations. In 1999, teenagers accounted for 27 percent of all food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations and 28 percent of eating-and-drinking-place positions. Furthermore, 59 percent of food-preparation-and-foodservice employees were under age 30.

Women in their childbearing years (between the ages of 18 to 44) constituted 38 percent of those employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations. Senior citizens, age 55 and older, represent a smaller portion of the restaurant-industry work force, accounting for 7 percent. By comparison, in 1999 only 5 percent of all employed individuals in the U.S. work force were teens, 30 percent were women in their childbearing years, and 13 percent were age 55 and older.

Education at play

Because of the large percentage of teenagers and young adults in the restaurant industry, 38 percent of those employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations in 1999 had less than a high school diploma. One-third of food-preparation-and-foodservice-occupation workers were high school graduates and the remaining 29 percent had some college education.

On the home front

Young employees in the restaurant industry also influenced the marital status of food-preparation-and-foodservice workers. Fifty-seven percent of workers employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations were single and had never married, while 27 percent were presently married. Separated, divorced or widowed persons represented 13 percent of those employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations.

Although in 1999 fewer than three out of 10 food-preparation-and-foodservice workers were married, 82 percent of foodservice employees lived in family households and 68 percent lived in two-to-four-person households. In most cases, there was more than one wage earner in the household. In 1999, only one-fifth of food-preparation-and-foodservice workers were the only wage earner in their household.

Although individuals employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations tend to be younger than those in the overall U.S. work force, restaurant-industry employees had household incomes comparable to the national average of $43,951. In 1999, 40 percent of food-preparation-and-foodservice workers resided in households with an annual income of $50,000 or more. In addition, 31 percent of persons employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations lived in households that had an annual income between $25,000 and $49,999.

In 1999, 79 percent of all food-preparation-and-foodservice employees worked in retail, mainly eating-and-drinking places. Nonsupervisory eating-and-drinking-place employees worked an average of 25.6 hours per week.

Job tenure for individuals in the restaurant industry tends to be short relative to all wage-and-salary workers in the United States. In 1999, the median tenure for workers in foodservice occupations was 1.5 years compared with 3.5 years for all wage-and-salary workers. Sixty-four percent of those employed in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations had less than three years’ tenure with their current employer, while 76 percent of them said they had only one employer during the past year.

Who’s in charge

In addition to profiling a typical employee in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations, Restaurant Industry Employee Profile—1999 includes detailed profiles of the typical foodservice-and-lodging manager and the typical supervisor in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations.

The typical foodservice-and-lodging manager is:

• male (54 percent)

• white (84 percent)

• between the ages of 25 and 44 (58 percent)

• employed in private industry (82 percent).

The typical food-preparation-and-foodservice supervisor is:

• female (68 percent)

• white (81 percent)

• under age 35 (62 percent)

• employed in private industry (92 percent)

• employed in retail trade (75 percent).

Minorities comprised a higher percentage of food-preparation-and-foodservice supervisors than foodservice-and-lodging managers. African-Americans represented 8 percent of foodservice-and-lodging managers; people of Hispanic origin accounted for 9 percent. In addition, 13 percent of all food-preparation-and-foodservice supervisors were African-American and 12 percent were of Hispanic origin.

Private industry employs a larger percentage of supervisors in food-preparation-and-foodservice occupations than foodservice-and-lodging managers—92 percent versus 82 percent. On the other hand, foodservice-and-lodging managers were more likely to be self-employed (14 percent) than supervisors (1 percent). In 1999, the retail industry employed 81 percent of all foodservice-and-lodging managers and 75 percent of all food-preparation-and-foodservice supervisors.

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National Restaurant Association research