Restaurant Workforce Research: Reflecting on 2024 and Optimizing for 2025

3 Min Read By Jordan Boesch

Long after the restaurant industry felt the most significant impacts of the pandemic, echoes still reverberate in the form of workforce realities and operational challenges. After millions left the industry in 2020, restaurants responded by increasing wages and leaning into incentives to attract employees back. This adaptability allowed the industry to come back even stronger, but to this day, the struggle to attract and retain a stable workforce remains. 

To help restaurant operators better understand what employees want and need, close to 1,000 restaurant managers were surveyed regarding compensation, technology use, retention tactics, and more. Here’s a look at some of the key findings so you can reflect on 2024 and prepare for maximum growth in 2025. 

Growth and Leadership While the restaurant industry grew by 1.7 percent in 2024 and added 210,300 jobs, a standout category led the pack. Quick-serve restaurants (QSRs) experienced four-percent growth over the past year…