The employment crisis in the hospitality sector.

Gusser09

I mean this with the greatest possible respect but fxxk the hospitality sector in Ireland. Its a shake down. The prices they look to charge, and generally get, are highway robbery. Ive zero sympathy for them. The only reason they want the visa situation sorted is for cheap labour. Thats all. They wont pay decent people the wage the are worth. I rarely go out and have a meal etc in aireland anymore. Quality across the board is generally poor bar a few exceptions and prices are top dollar.

In a popular hotel just outside Dublin i had the pleasure of paying 44 euros for two bowls of soup 1 sandwich and a pot of tea. I choked.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119098964#Comment_119098964

I love to know were these mysterious good value Irish Hotels and Restaurants are 😏

Ha Long Bay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099009#Comment_119099009

Was the price not on the menu before you ordered this fictional meal?

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099009#Comment_119099009

There has to be some give and take. It's rare, very rare to get a bad meal in an Irish restaurant. Any restaurant that skimps on quality is usually short lived. Even fast food is much better here than overseas. Head on over to the Entrepreneur section of Boards, and many restaurant/cafe owners complain about the paperwork and bureaucracy in setting up a business that sells food.

Hotels are always expensive, you're offsetting the other costs of the place.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099066#Comment_119099066

Id disagree. Maybe not a bad meal but certainly for the money which is exhanged i feel cheated. Pub grub has also gone to the dogs lately.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099066#Comment_119099066

Whilst it's a fair point about quality in restaurants, prices are at crazy levels and this before the pandemic, inflation and Vat Reductions which were never reflected on prices customers pay. There's also a lot of reporting on service charges, in my time in the sector service was only applied to larger parties/groups. There was once a time Breakfast was included in a hotel stay, now its charged for in many places and it would seem there's a free for all in charging extras.

Re paperwork and bureaucracy, it can be daunting at start up but to be fair this applies to most businesses. Food service business rightly have a duty of care and ongoing compliance checks for food service and hygiene standards is necessary.

I've advised many people going into the sector and it astonishes me a little budding hospitality entrepreneurs know about the costs and responsibilities involved in setting up any food business.

Jarhead_Tendler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119093939#Comment_119093939

Id guess and i could be way off that we pay well above odds for hotel rooms and food. I don't think its the paying publics fault the wages are poor..

Furze99

I've had some insight into the matter over last year as know someone who worked in the industry. As people have observed, hours long and pay at minimum wage or just barely above. Really good worker, an asset to any business, but allowed to depart without any serious effort to retain.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119097187#Comment_119097187

And here's the feckin thing, we have rent prices in Dublin that usually go with cities of 5+ million people. There's a thread on this site where there's a couple who are being evicted, both working and can't find anywhere in Dublin. Whatever the truth of it there was a suggestion made that they move to Newry. Completely trying to be helpful. If people try to handwave away our sky high prices because we're a "tech hub" or financial hub then where are the 15 quid an hour minimum wage jobs that surely need to follow? Just a quick glance because it was the first thing popped into my head, looks like €17.70ish an hour is their minimum wage. That's a big part of why things are expensive there. It doesn't explain why things are expensive here.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119097208#Comment_119097208

Someone who's worked well in hospitality will usually be able to do a job with training more easily than someone coming out of college who's studied something adjacent to the subject. If I was looking for a general operative type person to fasttrack to manager I'd look at them or former Lidl/Aldi staff very favourably.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099186#Comment_119099186

Suppose you wanted to go to an event at fairly short notice in Dublin and need a room next Friday night. Quick look on booking.com ordered by price...

Oooof...

Yeah, but they couldn't possibly pay a little more or hire more staff.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099238#Comment_119099238

And up the price of staff and those prices go up again.

I just read a piece about a restaurant in Kerry closing after 5 years.

Gas prices up 39%, other energy prices up 25%

They increased their prices by 12.5% to try and offset it, but that did not work and they can't up them by another 12.5%

So where is the scope in all of that to pay staff more.

It's just not there.

But according to some here they should increase the wages to get staff because you know, they are making money hand over fist.

https://extra.ie/2022/05/19/news/the-thatch-restaurant-kerry

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119098964#Comment_119098964

So you want southern European prices ?

Pay southern European wages.

screamer

Truth be told the hospitality industry in Ireland is well over supplied in terms of establishments. They are not and will not all be viable. As they close more staff will be one available to the ones left standing. wages need to go up, no one wants to work long hours and often unsociable hours for minimum wage. So, get used to paying more guys.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099386#Comment_119099386

Some restaurants are not viable - tough but true. Staff shouldn't have to work long hours for very little pay just to keep the business going for the owners. If you can't afford to treat the staff well then close the doors for good.

maestroamado

Hospitality is another word for money in Ireland... how much can we get out of them... Ireland only welcoms wealthy people... the rest of us fly Ryanair...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099386#Comment_119099386

If you want a glib answer you can have one, I would like to open a business where I sell seashells from a little prefab on a beach. Doesn't mean I get to do it.

Just because the way things are the way they are doesn't mean they're right by default. There's no reason to have our economy set up in such a way that treating staff like **** is the only way to allow a sector to "thrive" is to have the staff treated and paid like ****. Hell even takeaway food. The market is crowded as it is despite **** work conditions.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099455#Comment_119099455

Surprisingly when running costs increase and the price of goods and services go up, people forget about low staff wages and complain about what they have to pay for goods and services. We want low prices and high wages, the two don’t usually go together.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099422#Comment_119099422

But increasing staff pay as many here are advocating is not going to make them anymore viable.

On the contrary it would push viable businesses into non viable territory.

People on boards have a very naive view of things.

Rent is expensive ergo landlords are loaded.

Hospitality is expensive ergo the owners are making huge money.

It ain't that simple.

Flinty997

Time will tell how viable they are.

The staff have voted with their feet.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099549#Comment_119099549

Look I do I understand more than most.- I am an accountant and my husband used to be a chef so I see it from both sides. If a business is not able to pay its staff a decent wage and still make a profit then they need to close. Making slaves of staff ( which many owners do) in order to make a profit is disgusting behaviour. I done the accounts of several restaurants over the years - the common thing with alot of owners is that they never make cuts to their own lifestyle!

maestroamado

Out of interest how often do we see backpackers in Ireland... are all the oige hostels closed...

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099632#Comment_119099632

An accountant who thinks that clients should increase outgoings and make less profit, your clients must be concerned.

Flinty997

I think the point is the business is hanging on a thread, the thread is staff with no reason to turn up if they get any excuse not to.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099211#Comment_119099211

Its gonna be fun when all these so-called tech hubs cant find cleaners for their shiny offices because of sh1te wages and the fact they cant afford to live there.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099672#Comment_119099672

I didn't say they should increase their costs - I said they should close their doors for good because they are not viable.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099238#Comment_119099238

holy sh1t, 100 euros to sleep in a dormitory room with 31 other people, thats insane. Im staying in Paris for the Champions League final next weekend and a 4 bed dormitory is 40 euros a night

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099009#Comment_119099009

whatever about prices ( and i actually think if you shop around its not that bad ) , quality is excellent for the most part , way above most nations on average

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099009#Comment_119099009

You need to go to Iceland. You'd only get the bowl of soup for that

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099009#Comment_119099009

This, see what you will pay in temple bar for a pint and food then ask what the young person that serves you is paid, around minimum wage.

a spot I like out by the Phoenix park gone mental price wise … a pub, not a restaurant in the pub, the pub itself.

looking on their website the menu is without prices which is indicative of their mindset… “get them in before they know how dear”.

Pussyhands

People always say just pay people more and then they'll get workers. It's not that easy. Do people think businesses are raking it in?

There's a worker shortage everywhere in the economy.

Try getting an electrician or a plumber for a job on your house. I wonder how many of the people saying "just pay more" take the same approach to electricians and builders for their own houses.