When is old...too old?

The struggle of the aging workforce in hospitality…

As boomers move farther into the twilight of life and career, the job market that once was dominated by those baby boomers and the near end of Gen X is turning to technology, pods, and the remote work craze. Covid-19 has not helped any of this, changing the dynamics of Fortune 500 companies and the backbone of our great Republic, the small business owner. Many small businesses have been decimated, initially, by the rising minimum wage, and then the pandemic. As an older Gen Xer, I have personally witnessed the transition in management in the hospitality and service industry take a slow and painful tumble. While many casual theme establishments still focus on the guest experience which includes quality service and cuisine, the rising costs of labor, food, and beverage have taken a toll on one of the most important lines on the P&L.

The average age of a server in a casual theme restaurant in my experience hovered somewhere around 19, with other support staff, bussers, and hosts, for instance, moving slightly lower, 16, and 17 in many cases. Managing a large staff of teens and young adults in a busy restaurant have sometimes been compared to herding cats. Imagine adding the stress of a busy shift and all of the requisite challenges, (which is an entirely different article). Older managers have had tough times not only relating to younger generations but giving direction in a positive and productive manner. So all restaurant managers should be young and able to relate to the staff? Not always, the experience is a process and usually involves time in the trenches. Younger managers while more relatable to the staff, sometimes lack the practical experience mainly obtained getting your ass kicked on busy shifts, which is the kind of battle-tested experience that trumps the age differences and validates a manager's skills regardless of age. 

This article has focused on my experience in hospitality so far, but what about other industries, manufacturing, and office disciplines for example. Surely an older employee with tenure in, say, in an accounting practice or investment firm would have more of an opportunity to work into their later years. Americans are working later into their retirement years more than ever before. The juxtaposition of working an office job versus manufacturing or a non-sedentary career can be the difference between working 5 or 10 years longer. The elephant in the human resource room is the age discrimination that, whether it has been proven or not, happens. Yes, the best qualifications for the position should be the premier reason for employment in a perfect world. We are far from a perfect world when it comes to hiring practices and multiple types of discrimination, even in 2020. As a manager at different levels of the chain of command, I have witnessed instances of age and sex discrimination that no person should have to endure. The mindset has made some progress, but all of us need to be an instrument of change and question any and all negative and discriminatory actions, comments, and practices. 

One interesting anecdote about the restaurant business that hit me one day, was the fact that the staff was always the same age group but I was getting older…think about that. The natural evolution, no matter where you work in hospitality is the 16–20 something demographic for the most part. Work in the industry long enough, and you realize that turnover and the flexibility of the hourly positions appeal to college students, high schoolers, and recent undergrads. There are of course exceptions, but looking back it was a stark reality. This realization was not a bad thing, I attribute many positive things to working with a demographic of young people 6–7 years ago. Now, with so many entitled and work ethicless young people, the qualified crop has been turned upside down and no one is sure which way is up. 

In the end, and with the pandemic wreaking havoc on anything that was normal, the future of the full-service restaurant and the day to day operations that we once knew may never return, unfortunately. Working remotely is a godsend for many businesses, but the service and other industries like construction do not have that luxury and still need reliable team members and leaders to push forward and get after it.