Post Pandemic COVID-19 Toughest on Food Industry People
Possibly the biggest economic hit taken by COVID was the restaurants and food service establishments. Many businesses saw their incomes dwindle to zero quickly because of runaway rents, no foot traffic customers, slow government financial response and a lack of online preparedness. Unfortunately, many businesses won't be coming back. This will translate into a large number of people looking for employment opportunities. It's predictable that some restaurant workers will give up on food service altogether, while some will seek lateral movement within the food and beverage service industry.
Is it a Perfect Time to Open a Coffee shop? Should you Train to be a Barista?
Luckily, in the past the coffee industry has proven itself relatively recession-proof. Big question is, if it is pandemic proof ?
The recession proof claim comes from the various economic meltdowns we've experienced in the last few decades. Those who ate out at restaurants before the recession could not afford to anymore, choosing instead to cook at home to save money. Many consumers however continued to go to their local coffee shops because it was the affordable luxury that they could keep. A cheaper way to stay social and an economical way to meet up with friends and relatives outside of their homes.
Coffee Shops will Bounce Back although some Owners will have to close their Shops Forever
If you are looking for employment opportunities, there will be a predicted rise in demand for Baristas and coffee shop workers as many business owners from other industries will be attracted by the relatively lower capital costs of opening a coffee shop. Some of these positions will be filled by baristas from the marginal coffee shops that went under financially during the pandemic. But the competition for these jobs will be intense as waiters, bartenders, cooks, bakers and chefs who lost their jobs will be looking for new opportunities.
In order to separate yourself from the pack, you need to understand who coffee shop owners will hire from the pack!
Coffee is underrated and under-appreciated as a skill set. In the restaurant hierarchy, the making of coffee is usually relegated to bussers or the lowest server on the totem pole. In our post pandemic world, this will change as more people look for work.
Think of coffee as similar to baking or even flying an airplane. You wouldn't trust a pilot who didn't take any training, would you? Just because the pilot owns the fanciest and most expensive airplane doesn't make them a competent pilot.. The same analogy goes for the baker who owns a professional convection oven and mixer, the best cake flour money can buy, but still has no training in baking.
The coffee professional possesses a specialized skill set and if you don't have the skill you need to find someone to apprentice with and teach you the skill. Otherwise no employer would hire you as a barista if all you have is a bartender, server, or kitchen background.
Even if you are a chef, your skill set doesn't translate to a coffee shop because most coffee shops don't sell very much food in relation to coffee sales. A chef is overqualified in food service skills but under-qualified in coffee skills. This post-pandemic economy will demand flexibility from the workforce.
Full-time opportunities will probably be fleeting or hard to find in the post pandemic economy. People will have to accept several part-time jobs in order to get the working hours to pay all their bills. A baker, a chef, a bartender or server can add barista skills to their already full tool box, and separate themselves from the pack of people looking for new employment opportunities in coffee. With their experience in the restaurant industry, and a willingness to take on the much maligned coffee station with newly acquired barista skills, they may find their resumes moving to the top of the pile, perhaps even ahead of baristas full of experience but little else.
Join us next week when we cover “ what is a barista ?”
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MORE ON THE COVID SURVIVAL COFFEE GUIDE
CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1: If you’re ready to make a change and freshen up your coffee game, consider making your coffee at home. To produce quality coffee at home, like the ones you normally find in the coffee shops, follow these 3 simple rules... Read More >
Chapter 2: Now that you understand freshness as it pertains to coffee beans (3-14 days from its BIRTH DATE or Roast date, and only buy enough to last a week) . This will give us a good starting point because we finally have some quality ingredients...Learn More >
Chapter 3: Ok.. you managed to escape the matrix and now that you have acquired the supplies needed to take on the coffee universe on your own, we are here to offer you some help!
4 Tools Needed to Brew Coffee At Home... Read More >
Chapter 4: If you have Italian friends, and they offer you a "caffe" , chances are they pull out a stove top device that unscrews in four parts, (base, top pouring chamber or pitcher, basket and basket cover) called a Moka Pot...Learn More >
Chapter 5: I have a personal problem with pour over people because they tend to hold the opinion that pour overs like Hario v60, Chemex, Kalita, are great, but that batch brew Drip Coffee Makers suck. The reality is...Read More >
Chapter 6: Let's explore further why the proponents of Cold Brew coffee are so maniacal in their support of this process. 4 reasons: ... Learn More >
Chapter 7: Frankly this viral hype surprises most of us in the industry but, in my opinion, it is a good thing that people are seeking innovation when it comes to coffee beverages. I just wish it didn’t involve instant coffee! ... Learn More >
Chapter 8: Prior to the cold brew fad, the go-to method of making a cold coffee was to utilize the alien👽 technology known as ice.
Apparently, when you add ice to things, they get colder...Learn More >
Chapter 9: If you survive this chapter, you will have my respect, and moreover, you will have learned about the basic principles of extraction...Learn More >
Chapter 10:We are revisiting a brewing device that was long ago dismissed as an alternative for espresso. Of course I'm talking about the Aeropress. Full admission. I was an anti Aeropress-er (not anymore). For those of you not familiar with the Aeropress way of making coffee it's a strange looking plastic device that looks like a giant syringe...Learn More >
Chapter 11: I'm going to tread into dangerous waters here and talk about one of the most controversial taboo subjects in the realm of 3rd and 4th wave coffee (aka pretentious coffee). What am I talking about? Blended drinks.. , AKA frappuccinos...Learn More >
Chapter 12:There is a false belief marketed that you need to spend a lot of money on specialized equipment in order to make good coffee and latte art. This insidious belief implies you need to...Learn More >
Chapter 13:The easiest way to avoid cream and sugar in your coffee is to buy higher quality coffee, you will taste that it is naturally sweet as opposed to the dark burnt, bitter stuff from chain stores, so try out a local independent coffee shop...Learn More >
Post Pandemic:Luckily, in the past the coffee industry has proven itself relatively recession-proof. Big question is, if it is pandemic proof ?...Learn More >
