“We encourage folks to find ways that work for them to manage the stress. For some, that might be creating structures to their day, like breathing exercises to let go of situations as they transition from work.” Fowler said that for some employees, other ways to manage all of that work-related stress might include taking some time off… or even finding another job entirely. “We all handle stressors differently. What’s important is finding a space or support to work through the approaches that work for you,” Fowler told us. We asked her for some advice for managers on how they can support their staff who have to face dissatisfied customers. According to Fowler, the first and foremost that they ought to do is have structures and processes in place for how to handle customers and escalation paths if needed. She said that part of those approaches should include the assurance that in hard situations, management will support their staff. If you face challenges at work, including with customer interactions, you can visit the ‘Empower Work’ website or contact their text line for support via 510-674-1414. In 2022, the American food service and drinking place industry as a whole reached earnings of a jaw-dropping $975.9 billion. That’s just shy of a trillion! In 2023, that trillion-dollar mark was breached, with the sales in the industry reaching an eye-watering $1.09 trillion, supporting 13.2 million employees. Statista notes that there were over 2.1 million servers in the US in 2022, and more than 2.2 million in 2023. Online food delivery is also massive and continues to get ever more popular. The US has the second-biggest online food delivery market after China. In 2023, the size of this market in the US stood at around $270 billion. Grocery delivery brought in $182.9 billion while meal delivery was worth $86.9 billion in revenue. WebstaurantStore reports that nearly 750k restaurants were operating in the US in 2023. An overwhelming number of them—9 out of 10—were small businesses with fewer than 50 staff members. Meanwhile, 7 out of 10 restaurants were single-unit operations. Most American adults (63%) have worked in the restaurant industry at some point in their lives. He said that many employees don’t stand up for themselves because they’re scared of getting fired if some of their customers were to complain about them. Servers with lots of experience can often instinctively tell who’s who, and how to deal with each category of people. It can be a ton of help if your manager roleplays with you and walks you through some potential scenarios with rude customers. Meanwhile, managers should always be available to support their newer staff members and step in if they have trouble handling negative and entitled people. What advice would you give anyone who’s completely new to working at a restaurant? We’d love to hear all about your job stories, so if you’re taking a coffee break, share your experiences in the comments at the bottom of this list. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
