Quick Service Restaurants Offer Fix for U.S. Job Market


By Lorraine Woellert for Bloomberg Businessweek:

Hospitality HRNewsRachael Wright had culinary training, a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a dream of putting her education to work. After a couple of years waiting tables and trying to launch her career, Wright finally went where the jobs are: quick-service food.

In September, she started at Protein Bar, a Chicago-based eatery specializing in low-sugar, high-fiber menus. The company says it seeks to marry fresh ingredients with convenience: Food is served in easy-to-carry bowls so customers can nosh while they walk. After multiple interviews, Wright landed an assistant manager job at the company’s new store in Washington.

“I was looking for something in product development,” said Wright, 26. “Even if that doesn’t happen, having this background in the healthful food industry should help me along the right path instead of going from restaurant to restaurant.”

Restaurants and bars are heading toward their strongest year of job growth since 2004, according to the National Restaurant Association, a Washington-based trade group, led by a proliferation of fast-food and quick-service outlets. Food services accounted for nearly 30 percent of the 96,000 jobs created in August, which also marked 19 consecutive months of growth for the sector, according to the Labor Department.

United States Department of Labor

The industry this year expanded payrolls by 2.9 percent as of the end of August, more than double the 1.4 percent increase in total U.S. employment, according to Labor Department data.

Read the entire article at Bloomberg Businessweek.

Published by @philammann

Phil Ammann is a veteran journalist, editor, and writer with more than three decades of experience covering news and public affairs across print and digital platforms. Based in the Tampa Bay area, he serves as Editor and Vice President of Operations for FloridaPolitics.com and Extensive Enterprises Media, where he oversees editorial content and strategic initiatives. He’s also proud to share life with his much better half, @margaretj13.

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