MRM EXCLUSIVE: New Research Reveals Restaurant Managers Are Key Ingredient in the Recipe for Staff Retention

Restaurant employees play an integral role in the dining experience, representing the building blocks of delightful guest experiences, ultimately creating loyal patrons who come back for more. However, in today's economic environment, restaurant staffing is being put to the test, posing a bigger challenge today than ever before. Restaurants not only face a labor shortage, but employee wages have been rising, and worker productivity across industries has plunged to a historical depth.

Regardless of how long employees intend to stay in a role — whether a seasonal job or a more permanent passion—restaurant operators have a common goal to keep staff happy, productive, and loyal. Fueled by this backdrop, Toast's Market Insights team sought to better understand restaurant employees' perspectives—from bright spots to challenges faced—by conducting a survey in February and March 2023 of more than 1,000 US restaurant workers.

So, what did we find?

Along with more obvious…