What Culinary Grads Want from Today’s Employers

What Today’s Culinary Graduates Expect from Employers

They want to feel valued and supported.

“Our students often don’t want to leave culinary school because they feel cared about here—and then they go into the industry and come back saying, ‘I don’t know if this is right for me.’ They must feel like they’re valued. If they don’t, they’ll leave you for three bucks more somewhere else. We can’t keep promoting that old-school mentality, which is you do what your boss says, and you don’t ever ask for a day off or for anything.

Ending Toxic Industry Norms & Creating a Culture of Respect

“I think it’s almost like we promote the negative parts of our industry and the reputation we’ve had forever—that yelling in the kitchen or sexual harassment or things like that are acceptable. Older chefs argue all the time that everyone should just get thicker skin and this is a kitchen. But all these things are just not acceptable. And they can’t be anymore. If you want to have a culture of belonging and treating people with fairness and equity and respect, we have to do better individually and as a whole industry.”

They Want Mentorship and Opportunities to Learn

Coaching Instead of Commanding

They want mentorship and opportunities to learn. “The coaching mentality is key. Be patient. Show them. Help them get it right. Then they’ll say, ‘What are we doing tomorrow, Chef?’

“We have to be more patient, even if it means showing someone five times. If we take that coach mentality and hold others accountable in a more supportive way, they’ll want to work harder.

Cross-Training Builds Teamwork

“Cross-training is also very important. Our students learn and work the front of the house while they’re studying culinary so they learn the value of the server. It breeds that teamwork mentality—that understanding of how hard other people are working in order to create more respect for each other.”

They Want Positive Feedback

. “Money is great, but people still want to hear, ‘Thank you. You did a great job.’ That’s what makes them feel seen.

“Just the act of paying someone isn’t enough anymore. Of course the money is there to tell someone they did a good job, but most people now want to hear it. It doesn’t take much to just add, ‘Hey, Mike, thank you for doing such a great job today.’ That’s worth every penny.”

They Want Flexibility.

 “We need to break the mold. It’s not about pampering—it’s about patience, coaching and creating jobs that fit real lives. That might mean staggered shifts, saying thank you out loud or recognizing that 60-hour weeks aren’t a badge of honor anymore.

“The [employees] who are coming into the industry now, they want to have a job where they’re not going to be worked like dogs. Even if there is an understanding that you have to work weekends and nights—maybe it’s not every weekend and every night. The newbies especially shouldn’t be worked to death every Saturday and Sunday every week because they’re new—and these days, they’re just going to leave you.

“We once had a mom whose kids didn’t get off the bus from school until 3:30 p.m., so she couldn’t come into work at that time, but she could start at 5. All the chefs were like, ‘But 5 is the dinner hour, she can’t start then.’ And I said, ‘Why not? Do you have every table filled at 5?’ Maybe it’s a little more of a headache for me as a scheduler. But if that means I have people coming in to work when they can and happy about it, I know they’ll be with me for the next five, eight years. We’re making their lives better so they want to work for you.”

Click here to learn more about what the next generation of restaurant and foodservice customers want.

Did you know? Since 2017, the US Foods® Scholars program has invested in the next generation of culinary and hospitality talent, awarding $20,000 scholarships and hands-on mentorship to help close the industry’s talent gap. Learn more about the program here