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Diadvantages of working in food industry?

I personally do not know a lot of peole in this industry and would really like to know from some experienced people that what are the challenges that they face, because every job has it's own pros and cons and i would like to know more about the disadvantages

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Peter’s Answer

Good day,

The main thing about this industry or any industry that you are interested in, make sure you are passionate and love what you do! Being a chef is nights, holidays, weekends and long hours with low pay until you make it in the industry. I love being a chef and in the hospitality business. But I know many friends that stumbled into the business and are not passionate about it that would have been a lot happier in some other profession. Before going to school for it, work in a kitchen and see if the profession speaks to you! Find your passion and you will never work a day in your life! Best of luck! Chef Peter
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Stan’s Answer

I agree with the previous answers. I found working in a restaurant before going culinary school put me at another levels than class mates. School will be less stressful.
As you move forward in your career learn as much from as many chefs as possible. Some parts the industry find that being part of the American Culinary Federation is important
At least it's a network where you meet people in the industry. Take your time learning, sometimes the highest paid job isn't the best.
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Brandi’s Answer

This answer could vary widely depending on the type of job in the food service industry you are considering, however I think the biggest disadvantages to the industry overall are the long, atypical hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays. Similarly, because the prime hours are evenings and weekends, there will be family/friend events you have to miss to meet work demands. That being said, you can also make great friends and meet many great mentors in food service.
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Christina’s Answer

I'm a food scientist rather than a chef, so I work in a lab and in a factory making prepackaged products you would find in a grocery store aisle or a quick service restaurant. Passion is just as important, but the hours are more reasonable in the 40-45 hours per week range. Pros for an R&D food scientist are that every day is different and a good portion of the job is developing products that taste good while solving the puzzle of how to reproduce it on a mass scale. The cons for me are the organization and record keeping needed for commercialization of the developed products. Still, I mostly love what I do and get paid well to do it with a good work-life balance. Hope that helps!
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Tiffany’s Answer

Great question! I whole heartedly agree with the above answers regarding the long work hours and working over the holidays.

However, I also have to say that they industry can be very fun and many restaurants take very good care of their people. My brother owns a very famous restaurant in our area and my son has worked a different restaurant while in college. Both businesses place a high priority on their people and they each operate as families because they care about each other and work some long hours together.

A couple of signs that a resturant has a good working environement and make their people a priority are that they:
1) add an "employee wellness" charge to every bill (it's usually around 3%). This money goes directly to the kitchen employees and toward their training or benefits;
2) provide a "family meal" every day - this is typically around 330-430pm and it is a real meal at the restaraunt when all the workers who are working that day get a chance to sit around a table, enjoy a meal, and bond with each other.

Start your career as a prep chef or a porter in a restaurant. Then you can work your way up while you earn money for and attend culinary school.

I'm excited for you! If you are passionate about cooking and working with others, you are going to have fun!
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