Joseph Schumaker FCSI, CEO and president, FoodSpace
“The question is whether or not we can bring in some pieces of automation to lower the labor need”
Is the labor crisis surmountable? AK: Currently, there's not just a lack of labor, but of qualifi ed labor. Even with the technology and knowledge we share with our customers, sometimes the people we work with don't have a full understanding of how to use the equipment. We're stuck in the same cycle. It will eventually even out, and I am confi dent and have faith that it will. Nonetheless, I think it's a hurdle to overcome. So there's kind of diametric of opposites, where we’ve got younger people who are willing to work remotely and older people who want to develop those in-person relationships, and off er the mentoring that goes along with it. There's a metamorphosis of which direction are we going. SC: I agree: skilled labor is in short supply. One thing we've been noticing quite a bit lately is the rise of the ghost kitchen, where people order food online or on their phones. For a while, we're going to have to lose some of our in-person foodservice or face a reality where we have to hunker down with a couple of people working on a simplifi ed menu, but I hope we get back to the point where the customer can decide what level of convenience they get. There is a shortage of skilled workers, so operators will have to take on the responsibility for training. The dishwasher might be new every week, so if the manufacturers can invest more in
video training to help that would be great. I'll be interested to see more of the ‘show automation’, which is almost like an arcade machine, such as the automated pizza and smoothie machines. Whether those are more of a novelty or truly labor-saving, I don’t know. They're expensive, but many of them are lease options.
Is automation the answer? JS: ‘Automation’ is a weird term right now. We’re a long way from fully automated kitchens. The question is whether or not we can bring in some pieces of automation to lower the labor need. Even some simple things such as combi ovens and blast chillers that have pre-programs in them that allow for maybe one less prep person or sous chef. Our job as consultants is to make sure clients and operators are aware of these opportunities. The other big thing we don't touch on as much as we should is front-of-house labor. The pandemic accelerated the use of personal devices. We are already tipping the scale with kiosks and cashierless systems, and how transactions are handled. In this case, I believe we can just rip off the Band Aid, since consumers are accustomed to ordering food from their smartphones. If we can move the labor from the front to the back of the house, and focus again on the food, then we can move on to the next point Steve mentioned about balancing convenience and experience. At some point, after being forced to use
convenience for almost two years now, the fl oodgates will open. There is a reasonable chance that experiential foodservice will return – in a big way. To help operators achieve this, we have to bring in the use of personal device technologies and bring automation into the back at house. This way, these restaurants won't disappear, and we can enjoy a new dining experience.
Will the foodservice industry be in a robust state – or rude health – in two years’ time? KS: I am very optimistic. It could be as short as 12 months. But defi nitely, in a couple of years the industry will be completely robust. JS: I agree. There is one big unknown, which is how long it will take the public to make the
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