How can we attract more people to work in the kitchen? – A study of restaurant employees

Maria Thulemark, PhD in Human Geography at the Department of Culture and Society, Dalarna University

What is the project about?
“We will examine the working conditions and the work environment for chefs and kitchen staff in restaurants. We aim to study what attracts people to the job, what is appealing and effective about the work, and what causes some to leave the profession. Is it the nature of the work, the working hours, the kitchen environment, how people treat each other, how the work is organised, managed and executed, or perhaps how employees perceive power and control?”

How does the hospitality industry benefit from this?
“There is currently a shortage of kitchen staff and the hospitality industry is struggling with both recruitment and retention. At the same time, the industry has low entry barriers; it offers opportunities for immigrants, recent arrivals, young people, and women to gain their first job. Therefore, our goal is to highlight the potential for improving work and workplaces to be attractive to enter and stay within.”

How will you conduct the study?
“We will start by interviewing management-level staff at three to four selected restaurants. After that, we will work as kitchen staff in these restaurant kitchens for a few weeks and conduct on-site and embodied observations. We have previous experience of working in restaurants but are not trained chefs, so we will perform simpler tasks and perhaps work alongside or with someone else. This research method, working participant observation, means that we actively engage ourselves. By immersing ourselves in everyday routines and practices, we gain a thorough understanding of how different tasks feel and are performed. We will also gain insight into hierarchies and relationships between people and how those working perceive their jobs in a broader context of daily life, social relationships, and career.”

What challenges will you face?
“The first challenge will be finding suitable workplaces in which we can conduct the study. Then, the method itself is challenging because we need to capture what is happening while being part of it—we will be doing two jobs at the same time. Another challenge is that we will collect a very extensive amount of material, so we need to analyse and present it effectively.”

What outcome do you hope for?
“Our ambition is that our project will provide increased knowledge about working in restaurant kitchens, which can be used to develop strategies for improvement and, thereby, help attract and retain competent people in the wider hospitality industry. We believe we will be able to create some sort of toolkit and provide concrete, hands-on tips for employers.”

Reference group
A reference group with representatives from the industry will be formed before the project starts. Salka Börjesson Eynon, owner and CEO of Green Hotel, will support the reference group. Several hotels and restaurants have expressed interest in participating in the reference group.

Participants
Maria Thulemark, PhD in Human Geography at the Department of Culture and Society, Dalarna University, and Susanna Heldt Cassel, Professor, PhD in Human Geography at Örebro University.

Full project title
How can we attract more people to work in the kitchen? – A study of restaurant employees with participant observation through work