The hospitality industry has always been known as a high-pressure environment, with short tempers and harsh words thrown about liberally. But could the staff and skills shortage in the industry be avoided by turning this around and showing people that a career in catering will be rewarding and enjoyable?

Fuming chefs like Gordon Ramsay venting at hapless sous-chefs has made for excellent TV ratings, and there’s no doubt that angry and aggressive cooks pre-date the reality tv era. However, a recent report into the hospitality industry suggests ways that the industry might improve.

Noisy, aggressive and macho

The UK Hospitality Workforce Commission 2030 report was released a couple of weeks ago, with testimony from over 100 industry figures. It found that respondents were “unanimous in the belief that the sector must collectively challenge negative perceptions of hospitality careers”.

The report found that kitchens are commonly perceived to be “noisy, aggressive and macho” working environments with long hours. It’s thought that this is a root cause of the staff and skills shortage threatening the industry.

UK Hospitality chief Kate Nicholls noted that it doesn’t have to be like this. In an interview with The Caterer she pointed out that modern kitchens are often much calmer and quieter places to work and that they value employees’ home lives, offering flexible working hours.

I’m confident that, as in so many areas of life, software could play a large part in helping kitchens improve standards.

If you can’t stand the heat...

The old saying that those who can’t stand the heat should get out of the kitchen has always seemed a bit regressive and macho to me. Surely a more forward-thinking person would opt to install an air conditioning unit, rather than just show people to the swing door? Technology could be the solution that prevents needlessly high staff turnover.

Of course, we’re talking about metaphorical heat, and I’m talking about a metaphorical air-conditioner. Software that takes away some of the stress of working in the kitchen makes the working environment much more pleasant, and builds a happier workforce that makes fewer errors.

...Get software in the kitchen

We have put a lot of time into making Spoonfed a simple solution that automates processes, cuts out mistakes and reduces stress from day one. From receiving orders to producing food, organising delivery and handling invoicing, our focus is always on improving caterers’ efficiency and making it easy for them to please customers.

We at Spoonfed are confident that technology will play a big part in turning around the current problems in the hospitality industry. The future will be cool, calm kitchens, without macho yelling. The entertainment industry’s loss will be the catering industry’s gain.

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