WILL EVERYTHING GO SELF SERVE?

With half of all adults having worked in restaurants during their lives and 1 in 3 having their first job in one, you would think we’d have a better sense of the of the following projections in the 2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast:

• Culinary arts are already a key part of why Durham is distinct.

• Restaurant jobs are growing at three times overall the rate of all jobs nationwide.

• Restaurants will add 2 million new jobs by 2018.

• Demand for chefs and head cooks will increase by 16% over 10 years.

• Restaurants account for 1 in 5 jobs added to the economy annual.

• Foodservice managers will increase 11% in the next 10 years.

So it is great that a portion of the proposed prepared food tax on the referendum will go to hospitality workforce training if it passes in November. Things like the award winning Durham Careers In Hospitality program in Durham Public Schools and NCCU’s newly accredited Hospitality Degree Program are already up and prepared to expand. Restaurants will need to be competitive for labor because the labor pool coming of age will shrink by 7%.