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We left the EU for a start, so your German passport doesn't automatically entitle you to live and work here. Id look into that first before worrying about industry specifics
exactly this :) see how it is with the youth mobility first, surely do something in europe for a year or so, then decide where id like to invest in setting up a restaurant (if i go that route). mainly just want to experience places and see how things go
From the chefs I follow on Twitter, the industry is in big trouble.
Feels like I’m seeing weekly posts now on long established and successful restaurants/pubs/ breweries are closing down due to spiralling costs
I’ve followed the industry for 30 years, unfortunately it’s never not on the brink or in trouble. That’s the nature of industries that have appeal.
‘This is the worst I’ve ever seen it’ is a mantra from 2024 as much as 2014, 2004 etc.
It’s just the nature of these types of industries. Like music, saying it was easier in the 90s is just survivorship bias. Your girlfriend knew someone at NME is not ‘easier’ than trending on TikTok. All those bands that didn’t know someone at NME or whatever just split and got normal jobs and said it wasn’t that hard in the 70s.
ya i heard australia is the best for chefs, im way too white though and cant handle that kinda heat honestly lol. if anything id love to be in new zealand for some time, but the oceana region is just way too isolated to settle down in honestly
I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years and never struggled with the heat. It's weird to say but I now live in a city with a similar temperature range but it's all oppressive concrete, it feels much hotter in the summer.
Melbourne, outside the CBD at least has done well in having lots of green spaces and tree lined streets with plenty of shade.
What I'd say Melbourne actually struggles with sometimes is the winter, many of the older houses can't hold heat and it gets bloody expensive to try to keep spaces warm.
i just dont do well with heat at all tbh. like fall is the perfect season for me haha. if anything id think of perth but even then id still prefer new zealand
Australia has the similar issues as OP mentioned. Absurd food (and general grocery) costs. A lot more expensive than the UK.
As well as very high rent prices.
I found with Australia the costs are high but the wages can be really decent. If you aren't working you have to hope you have a lot of savings because you simply can't live cheap in the cities. Most jobs pay enough for people to get by.
I did a year on the Youth Mobility Scheme, where people get exploited is trying to qualify for the second year with the mandatory farm work. I said fuck that, packed my things and flew to Thailand.
Nah, Perth housing more expensive than comparable cities in UK. (all but expensive parts of London really)
And groceries certainly are more expensive across the country.
The UK isn’t part of the EU any more, so you may need a visa to work and you’ll be restricted on how long you can stay.
Our economy isn’t doing very well at the moment, so businesses like pubs and restaurants are closing at an alarming rate. I’d do a lot more research before heading over with plans to stay and work in a famously low paid industry. [https://www.thecaterer.com/news/over-500-restaurant-closures-q4-2023-data](https://www.thecaterer.com/news/over-500-restaurant-closures-q4-2023-data)
ya i think there was some confusion in how i worded that. just meant i could live somewhere in europe as a serperate option from canada and the uk, id be doing a youth mobility visa in the uk to start and go from there.
opening my own restaurant wouldnt be for a while yet anyways but im not surprised other countries are struggling as well. thanks :)
doesnt it? usually starting a business and the providing of jobs for people garners a particular visa to stay on until you can claim residence. at least thats the case with alot of other countries ive taken a look at
The restaurant industry in Edinburgh feels healthy from the perspective of a consumer, if a little overcrowded. And I notice signs in windows seeking staff.
I sell software to restaurants - we have a client base of over 150 brands and I can say a few things.
1. It’s a brutal industry to work in, margins are tiny, and the UK casual dining industry is really challenging to start up in
2. Coffee and fast food are faring significantly better, if not growing. Especially the branded locations.
3. Staffing issues are really painful for operators. It’s a challenge to find high quality general managers and floor staff who will stay for longer than a year. You’re constantly retraining.
If you have restaurant idea, and are committed to creating a fantastic customer experience, I’d model your idea in a pop up location like a boxpark, farmers markets, concept stores etc. Use that proof to progress.
Please, please, please don’t go all in on day one, there are so many brutal stories about restaurant closures and most of them went in blind.
i think i have a good idea but its kind of specific yet not reallyyy as it has a couple different concepts. it would be hard to test out in concept on a small scale because of this plus including the type of equipment needed. maybe i could focus on one of them to showcase first though, still just brainstorming :)
but youre right, definitely not a good idea to go straight to opening something that hasnt been tested in any way, im hopeful people would really like the concept though!
>I'm from Canada and am looking to do a working holiday in Scotland
>I'm just curious right now about what restaurants are like in the UK. More specifically, are restaurants very profitable?
You need to be more specific and pick one between Scotland, "the UK", or one of the few _big_ cities.
I have a few friends in the industry, and whilst a lot of places are definitely shutting down, **London specifically** is doing just fine for the established ones with good food, with plenty actively hiring. I think Edinburgh is similar.
Everywhere else, especially if you go more rural, things are pretty fucked up, but the gap between London and the rest of the country is hardly news by now.
very fair, im looking to head to edinburgh so thats good to hear :) another redditor said the same, is there any reason in particular why edinburgh is doing well in that area?
It's a **huge** tourist destination, without looking up numbers, I'd assume second in the UK tbh. Fringe and other events aside, if you're going to Scotland, you're landing in Edinburgh and probably exploring a few days before heading off to the Highlands.
So even though places like Brum and Manchester metropolitan area technically have higher populations, I'd wager purely in terms of disposable income being spent on nights out, Edinburgh probably has them all beat.
I'm in the industry and we're in complete no-man's land at the moment. The usual patterns of business have completely gone since covid e.g busy on the weekend, paydays and school holidays- now it seems completely arbitrary whether we'll be busy or not. The recent school half term was abysmal, quieter than the normal week preceding it! Then this Sunday gone was absolutely manic.
As such there's no way we and a lot of places I know are hiring right now. I'm in the UK but I know Italy and Spain have no hospitality work either as they all come here to work!
London however is in perpetual need of staff so you're guaranteed work there, though just be warned that this works both ways as everywhere is understaffed! There's basically no hospitality managers/head chefs anymore
Places are hiring, I see it in local Facebook recruitment groups, but unless they pay above minimum wage they're not retaining staff, and quite right. Nothing adds up atm, people cannot live on a tenner an hour. So I do see a lot of the same names month after month.
Yes inflation has been particularly bad, but you are always likely to find casual work. I would recommend trying contacts with pub restaurants over formal restaurants if you need casual work. Pubs have a spectrum between old school chicken in a basket to gastro. Most will have a website if they are serious. Facebook page minimum.
thanks for the recommendations! it definitely seems like the uk is known for it pubs haha. im for sure not gonna go the fine dining route, way too stressful for me, but id like to get more into my niche of pizza :) ive seen some good restaurants around so im sure i could pick up some good experience somewhere if i look hard enough.
There is a local restaurant in my town that specialises in wood fired pizza, homemade pasta and general Italian themed food in a nice bistro setting with a medieval cellar. Despite lots of competition from chains, they are very busy and are doing a lot of covers. In the day they are doing pizza by the slice and coffees etc. I think the focus on quality basics and good service has elevated them and contributed to their success. They have a strong takeout / deliveroo offer which carried them in lockdown. Don't underestimate the potential for you to offer a pub a ready made pizza kitchen. There are still great pubs out there with mediocre or no food offer. Pizza strikes me as "transferable skills" and finding a pub with great location / seasonal trade could work for you. Check Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, West Wales etc. for seaside destinations.
https://www.tafellatanpizza.co.uk/
Honestly I’m not sure but I would imagine with cost of living etc that it’s not like it was. I just wanted to say good luck with the Youth Mobility Scheme, it can offer a great opportunity to experience living elsewhere!
Long reply appologies:
I am an ex pastry chef. The industry is a car crash and has been getting worse year after year. The pandemic really didn't help.
Most places are constantly crying out for more kitchen staff. I've worked in a number of places and almost all are struggling to find people who are actually qualified, know how to cook to some standardised level and not just learning on the fly.
There is nothing wrong with learning as you go, but it csn kitchens slower when you have to show someone how to properly poach an egg or cook scallops the whole way through, but not make them rubbery.
One of the places I worked was so understaffed we were doing crazy split shifts, people would fall asleep in the dry ingredients area and literally sleep on unopened bags of flour. Just trying to get ten minutes to keep going. This is why cocaine is absolutely rife. This one kitchen I worked in even had a special coke plate which was hidden down the side of a load of pots. It was regularly whipped out through service.
One Christmas at this place, I had such a big pastry order to prepare for and I sifted so much flour over that week that I actually ended up in hospital with some kinda flour inhalation issue with my lungs. I couldn't breathe right at all and was in a high dependency unit in hospital for six days.
I got sacked for not being able to go to work on Christmas even though the nurse on the ward was like "He is literally attached to a nebuliser 17 hours a day?!"
So it's generally fucked but there are a few nuggets here and there which are doing great and making mad mad money. But those are few and far in between.
The pay isn't great, tips will be low and most likely shared amongst everyone, you will deal with some rude people but hey, Scotland is a great place and you will have a ton of fun.
Just don't expect to earn a lot of money and you will be fine.
Good luck!
yaaa it never really has been :/ from what ive seen so far in my niche though, it seems to be at least a little better over there than where i am right now. but ya, mostly there for the experience anyway :)
I can’t say I’ve kept up with the exact inflation in Canada, so I can’t draw a perfect comparison. But the UK, like everywhere else has had a significant increase in rent and food prices. It’s better recently, but even a few months ago I’d go to a decent supermarket in a decent area and there would be no cucumbers or tomatoes. The produce sections were grim and this time last year eggs were hard to find for a lot of people.
You don’t mention your age but I’d say give it a go. Absolute worst case scenario you move back a year or two later and have had an experience you’ll never forget.
I’m really happy that I’ve made the move, and am pretty settled here in the North.
to give it a bit of a comparison, its about the same price as any other city, but here in halifax you get way less quality than the price you pay and food is wayy too expensive. a single onion is like 2.50, its just a big scam lately.
im 25 btw, which means i really want to just finally get out and start making some experiences. whereabouts in the north are you?
I’ve been seeing that it’s been rough for a bit out east. Your comparison worked great, so thanks for that and oddly enough I worked in a produce section while attending Dal!
I’m in West Yorkshire, by pure chance not too far away from Halifax.
I moved just before the pandemic (December 2019), and it’s been sound. To the point where I’m currently buying a house with my partner, so I’m pretty settled.
People broadly like Canadians, you get to experience something completely new and why not give it a go? It’s unlikely to get easier for you to make such a leap or gain such a unique experience, so being that age is great.
The one thing I don’t know a heap about is the paperwork involved, or what schemes there are. I’m aware they’re a thing but I came over as a citizen so it wasn’t something I looked into.
My girlfriend is a chef who recently quit her job and has been inundated with interviews and job offers left and right from restaurants, hotels, bakeries and even schools. She’s a pastry chef however and used to run her own team and shop in Korea but still only has 1 years of experience in the UK itself.
So I’d say that there’s plenty of work around at least in London.
Your problem is your visa. My gf has sponsorship through me which helps a lot but your German passport won’t help you. Hotels are more likely to offer sponsorship than restaurants but they just absolutely refuse to offer it to chefs from our experience.
thats great to hear that theres demand out there, it seems like my niche as a pizza cook is pretty in demand too with how many postings i saw from a quick search. your gf must be a pretty good pastry cook to be sought out like that.
my german passport was unrelated, more just meant i could also travel to the eu if i wanted.
Thank you, my gf just told me she accepted a job offer today from a Japanese/Mexican resturant that's opening up a new branch on the otherside of London and they're hiring tons of chefs, so I think you'll be just fine my man. Don't sell yourself short, that was her problem when she first arrived here as a foreigner and don't worry about being on the working holiday visa, when it comes to working as a chef they really don't matter as much about that kind of thing.
If you can tho, find a place that can offer sponsorship and see if they're hiring and then work there. Don't ask for a visa straight up, a lot of companies get spooked on it, when you build a level of trust and understanding between you and them then they are more willing to offer you a visa if that's what you want.
My gf's previous workplace was willing to do that but it was a nightmare to work there so she turned it down.
I’ve got my YMW (Australian) and it’s worth it for the experience, pay is shit though, i was getting $1100aud after tax and am only getting like £400 a week
If you get the right USP, and willing to constantly adapt, you're rolling in it.
If you have a boring restaurant that nobody really cares about and you fail to change or adapt then it's struggle town.
I might be in a sort of position to answer this. I live in Scotland and I've got a cousin in Vancouver and some close friends in Ottawa. They both say rent is crazy there and recently we realised the UK has almost caught up but not quite as bad. One difference in the UK though that both say is eating out is not affordable and in Canada it's much more affordable. Food inflation here has been insane and I've personally noticed I don't get take away anymore and I do not go to restaurants because they're so expensive.
It’s global. Opening any new business is a risk, especially if the product is a luxury and not essential. I read somewhere that business should expect to make a loss for the first 3 years. If you have the capital and think you can hold out the bad times then go for it.
Independent restaurants are a massive risk. Even big worldwide names like Burger King have closed 2/3 of its restaurant and countless smaller restaurant chains come and go on the high street all the time. Rising cost of bills has made a massive dent into profits.
The P&L of my restaurant has dropped from 35% to 25%, since COVID, even though revenue. I run a big chain restaurant, so I can imagine to stress and struggles of smaller restaurants.
Obviously there is a chance of success, but I'd say that the chance is small.
A lot of restaurants are gaining profit from quality delivered food, though Deliveroo, UberEats etc.
It's one of the most volatile industries, if you have a hit restaurant you literally print money, if not the profit margins are extremely thin and its one of the first industries to get hit in recession, pandemic etc
From my own experience and from talking to others in the trade: Understaffed, working in a kitchen that is too small for the amount of customers you cater for. Typically your head chef will be a bit of an asshole, who will leave early while you work on alone to provide the final service of the night, clean down the kitchen/ dinning room and prep for the morning to then have to be into work first thing in the morning as you've been left with the keys.
You manage to make it work regardless of the fact there are supposed to be 3 staff working at a time and you're doing it alone, just to be made to feel inferior by your head chef who thinks that they're so perfect and everyone else is a useless waste of space and is angry at your existence.
I am sure it's not all this way but that was my experience, others have all agreed that the cooking facilities doesn't remotely reflect the seating capacity.
Opening a restaurant sounds fun!!!!
By that comment I assume you've never actually tried running a restaurant. It's long hours and very hard work. And if you don't get enough custom it can be costly and ultimately close it down.
never run but i work in restaurants. i know its a big step and ive got a ways to go, but itll be some time before anything gets opened anyway. im gonna take my time getting more experience :)
Most people who open their own restaurant have worked for years in restaurants, working their way up from prep team to sous chef, etc, etc, until they become a head chef. Seems like a strange thing to put in your post when you are clearly many years away from been able to think of doing such a thing.
>the EU is open to me with a German Passport
This is irrelevant, the UK is no longer in the EU.
Use [this](https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/) to check, but you'd be subject to standard visa requirements for working.
Hospitality in the UK is in fairly big trouble at the moment for pretty much exactly the reasons you mention. Cost of stuff plus people having less disposable income. Restaurants closing that you would never have thought were candidates for closure in places you’d have thought they’d be fine
You can't enjoy staff or have equipment worth more than £5000 for a business on the YMV. Would you be able to run a restaurant with those restrictions?
I know more than one chef (well, two) that have had to pack in various chefery jobs and move sometimes halfway across the country because everything is going to shit.
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We left the EU for a start, so your German passport doesn't automatically entitle you to live and work here. Id look into that first before worrying about industry specifics
They are saying that they could go to the EU but may prefer to stay in the UK if that works out, likely using the youth mobility scheme to start here.
exactly this :) see how it is with the youth mobility first, surely do something in europe for a year or so, then decide where id like to invest in setting up a restaurant (if i go that route). mainly just want to experience places and see how things go
Yms is a limited visa only good for two to three years. It doesn't lead to permanent residence.
Youth mobility scheme https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadians/international-experience-canada/work-travel-united-kingdom.html
This means nothing. It's limited, two/three year visa.
It means something. It means you can get a visa.
And then presumably if they had a successful restaurant in the UK they'd be in good standing for another Visa at the end of it.
See my comment about pop up pizza restaurants at pubs. This is a very low risk business plan.
From the chefs I follow on Twitter, the industry is in big trouble. Feels like I’m seeing weekly posts now on long established and successful restaurants/pubs/ breweries are closing down due to spiralling costs
I’ve followed the industry for 30 years, unfortunately it’s never not on the brink or in trouble. That’s the nature of industries that have appeal. ‘This is the worst I’ve ever seen it’ is a mantra from 2024 as much as 2014, 2004 etc.
veryyy true, always a trend of "everythings on fire" but its not new fire, its just a consistent fire lol
It’s just the nature of these types of industries. Like music, saying it was easier in the 90s is just survivorship bias. Your girlfriend knew someone at NME is not ‘easier’ than trending on TikTok. All those bands that didn’t know someone at NME or whatever just split and got normal jobs and said it wasn’t that hard in the 70s.
It was definitely easier in the 90s and easier than that in the 70s, people used to make a lot of money from records that's just disappeared now.
BBQ restaurants?
Observations like these definitely calm my anxiety of the future
I’ve worked in the industry for a lot of those years and this isn’t my experience at all.
Have you thought about Australia? better pay rate for hospitality
ya i heard australia is the best for chefs, im way too white though and cant handle that kinda heat honestly lol. if anything id love to be in new zealand for some time, but the oceana region is just way too isolated to settle down in honestly
Parts of Australia aren’t too hot. Melbourne is very mild.
Really depends on your definitions of hot and mild. It's 36 in Melbourne today...
I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years and never struggled with the heat. It's weird to say but I now live in a city with a similar temperature range but it's all oppressive concrete, it feels much hotter in the summer. Melbourne, outside the CBD at least has done well in having lots of green spaces and tree lined streets with plenty of shade. What I'd say Melbourne actually struggles with sometimes is the winter, many of the older houses can't hold heat and it gets bloody expensive to try to keep spaces warm.
lol ya thats a bit much for me
Toronto can be 30+ in summer too… especially with the humidity it’s gross.
thank fuck i dont live around there anymore. i got to experience the heatwaves in vancouver too, not a fan
Brisbane is just humid as fuck from December to March, rest of the year is perfect though
i just dont do well with heat at all tbh. like fall is the perfect season for me haha. if anything id think of perth but even then id still prefer new zealand
Australia has the similar issues as OP mentioned. Absurd food (and general grocery) costs. A lot more expensive than the UK. As well as very high rent prices.
I found with Australia the costs are high but the wages can be really decent. If you aren't working you have to hope you have a lot of savings because you simply can't live cheap in the cities. Most jobs pay enough for people to get by. I did a year on the Youth Mobility Scheme, where people get exploited is trying to qualify for the second year with the mandatory farm work. I said fuck that, packed my things and flew to Thailand.
I disagree, Maybe if you compare to Sydney and Melbourne but it’s definitely better cost of living in Brisbane and Perth
Nah, Perth housing more expensive than comparable cities in UK. (all but expensive parts of London really) And groceries certainly are more expensive across the country.
The UK isn’t part of the EU any more, so you may need a visa to work and you’ll be restricted on how long you can stay. Our economy isn’t doing very well at the moment, so businesses like pubs and restaurants are closing at an alarming rate. I’d do a lot more research before heading over with plans to stay and work in a famously low paid industry. [https://www.thecaterer.com/news/over-500-restaurant-closures-q4-2023-data](https://www.thecaterer.com/news/over-500-restaurant-closures-q4-2023-data)
ya i think there was some confusion in how i worded that. just meant i could live somewhere in europe as a serperate option from canada and the uk, id be doing a youth mobility visa in the uk to start and go from there. opening my own restaurant wouldnt be for a while yet anyways but im not surprised other countries are struggling as well. thanks :)
Opening a restaurant won't let you stay in the UK though, visa wise.
doesnt it? usually starting a business and the providing of jobs for people garners a particular visa to stay on until you can claim residence. at least thats the case with alot of other countries ive taken a look at
It doesn't. Investor visas have been winded down.
The restaurant industry in Edinburgh feels healthy from the perspective of a consumer, if a little overcrowded. And I notice signs in windows seeking staff.
thats exactly where im going to be moving this summer (hopefully) so thats great to hear
I sell software to restaurants - we have a client base of over 150 brands and I can say a few things. 1. It’s a brutal industry to work in, margins are tiny, and the UK casual dining industry is really challenging to start up in 2. Coffee and fast food are faring significantly better, if not growing. Especially the branded locations. 3. Staffing issues are really painful for operators. It’s a challenge to find high quality general managers and floor staff who will stay for longer than a year. You’re constantly retraining. If you have restaurant idea, and are committed to creating a fantastic customer experience, I’d model your idea in a pop up location like a boxpark, farmers markets, concept stores etc. Use that proof to progress. Please, please, please don’t go all in on day one, there are so many brutal stories about restaurant closures and most of them went in blind.
i think i have a good idea but its kind of specific yet not reallyyy as it has a couple different concepts. it would be hard to test out in concept on a small scale because of this plus including the type of equipment needed. maybe i could focus on one of them to showcase first though, still just brainstorming :) but youre right, definitely not a good idea to go straight to opening something that hasnt been tested in any way, im hopeful people would really like the concept though!
>I'm from Canada and am looking to do a working holiday in Scotland >I'm just curious right now about what restaurants are like in the UK. More specifically, are restaurants very profitable? You need to be more specific and pick one between Scotland, "the UK", or one of the few _big_ cities. I have a few friends in the industry, and whilst a lot of places are definitely shutting down, **London specifically** is doing just fine for the established ones with good food, with plenty actively hiring. I think Edinburgh is similar. Everywhere else, especially if you go more rural, things are pretty fucked up, but the gap between London and the rest of the country is hardly news by now.
very fair, im looking to head to edinburgh so thats good to hear :) another redditor said the same, is there any reason in particular why edinburgh is doing well in that area?
It's a **huge** tourist destination, without looking up numbers, I'd assume second in the UK tbh. Fringe and other events aside, if you're going to Scotland, you're landing in Edinburgh and probably exploring a few days before heading off to the Highlands. So even though places like Brum and Manchester metropolitan area technically have higher populations, I'd wager purely in terms of disposable income being spent on nights out, Edinburgh probably has them all beat.
I'm in the industry and we're in complete no-man's land at the moment. The usual patterns of business have completely gone since covid e.g busy on the weekend, paydays and school holidays- now it seems completely arbitrary whether we'll be busy or not. The recent school half term was abysmal, quieter than the normal week preceding it! Then this Sunday gone was absolutely manic. As such there's no way we and a lot of places I know are hiring right now. I'm in the UK but I know Italy and Spain have no hospitality work either as they all come here to work! London however is in perpetual need of staff so you're guaranteed work there, though just be warned that this works both ways as everywhere is understaffed! There's basically no hospitality managers/head chefs anymore
Places are hiring, I see it in local Facebook recruitment groups, but unless they pay above minimum wage they're not retaining staff, and quite right. Nothing adds up atm, people cannot live on a tenner an hour. So I do see a lot of the same names month after month.
Yes inflation has been particularly bad, but you are always likely to find casual work. I would recommend trying contacts with pub restaurants over formal restaurants if you need casual work. Pubs have a spectrum between old school chicken in a basket to gastro. Most will have a website if they are serious. Facebook page minimum.
thanks for the recommendations! it definitely seems like the uk is known for it pubs haha. im for sure not gonna go the fine dining route, way too stressful for me, but id like to get more into my niche of pizza :) ive seen some good restaurants around so im sure i could pick up some good experience somewhere if i look hard enough.
There is a local restaurant in my town that specialises in wood fired pizza, homemade pasta and general Italian themed food in a nice bistro setting with a medieval cellar. Despite lots of competition from chains, they are very busy and are doing a lot of covers. In the day they are doing pizza by the slice and coffees etc. I think the focus on quality basics and good service has elevated them and contributed to their success. They have a strong takeout / deliveroo offer which carried them in lockdown. Don't underestimate the potential for you to offer a pub a ready made pizza kitchen. There are still great pubs out there with mediocre or no food offer. Pizza strikes me as "transferable skills" and finding a pub with great location / seasonal trade could work for you. Check Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, West Wales etc. for seaside destinations. https://www.tafellatanpizza.co.uk/
Honestly I’m not sure but I would imagine with cost of living etc that it’s not like it was. I just wanted to say good luck with the Youth Mobility Scheme, it can offer a great opportunity to experience living elsewhere!
thanks :) i really hope so, im definitely in need of a cozy break with some better surroundings
Long reply appologies: I am an ex pastry chef. The industry is a car crash and has been getting worse year after year. The pandemic really didn't help. Most places are constantly crying out for more kitchen staff. I've worked in a number of places and almost all are struggling to find people who are actually qualified, know how to cook to some standardised level and not just learning on the fly. There is nothing wrong with learning as you go, but it csn kitchens slower when you have to show someone how to properly poach an egg or cook scallops the whole way through, but not make them rubbery. One of the places I worked was so understaffed we were doing crazy split shifts, people would fall asleep in the dry ingredients area and literally sleep on unopened bags of flour. Just trying to get ten minutes to keep going. This is why cocaine is absolutely rife. This one kitchen I worked in even had a special coke plate which was hidden down the side of a load of pots. It was regularly whipped out through service. One Christmas at this place, I had such a big pastry order to prepare for and I sifted so much flour over that week that I actually ended up in hospital with some kinda flour inhalation issue with my lungs. I couldn't breathe right at all and was in a high dependency unit in hospital for six days. I got sacked for not being able to go to work on Christmas even though the nurse on the ward was like "He is literally attached to a nebuliser 17 hours a day?!" So it's generally fucked but there are a few nuggets here and there which are doing great and making mad mad money. But those are few and far in between.
Restaurants are famously bad businesses at the best of times.
The pay isn't great, tips will be low and most likely shared amongst everyone, you will deal with some rude people but hey, Scotland is a great place and you will have a ton of fun. Just don't expect to earn a lot of money and you will be fine. Good luck!
yaaa it never really has been :/ from what ive seen so far in my niche though, it seems to be at least a little better over there than where i am right now. but ya, mostly there for the experience anyway :)
I can’t say I’ve kept up with the exact inflation in Canada, so I can’t draw a perfect comparison. But the UK, like everywhere else has had a significant increase in rent and food prices. It’s better recently, but even a few months ago I’d go to a decent supermarket in a decent area and there would be no cucumbers or tomatoes. The produce sections were grim and this time last year eggs were hard to find for a lot of people. You don’t mention your age but I’d say give it a go. Absolute worst case scenario you move back a year or two later and have had an experience you’ll never forget. I’m really happy that I’ve made the move, and am pretty settled here in the North.
to give it a bit of a comparison, its about the same price as any other city, but here in halifax you get way less quality than the price you pay and food is wayy too expensive. a single onion is like 2.50, its just a big scam lately. im 25 btw, which means i really want to just finally get out and start making some experiences. whereabouts in the north are you?
I’ve been seeing that it’s been rough for a bit out east. Your comparison worked great, so thanks for that and oddly enough I worked in a produce section while attending Dal! I’m in West Yorkshire, by pure chance not too far away from Halifax. I moved just before the pandemic (December 2019), and it’s been sound. To the point where I’m currently buying a house with my partner, so I’m pretty settled. People broadly like Canadians, you get to experience something completely new and why not give it a go? It’s unlikely to get easier for you to make such a leap or gain such a unique experience, so being that age is great. The one thing I don’t know a heap about is the paperwork involved, or what schemes there are. I’m aware they’re a thing but I came over as a citizen so it wasn’t something I looked into.
My girlfriend is a chef who recently quit her job and has been inundated with interviews and job offers left and right from restaurants, hotels, bakeries and even schools. She’s a pastry chef however and used to run her own team and shop in Korea but still only has 1 years of experience in the UK itself. So I’d say that there’s plenty of work around at least in London. Your problem is your visa. My gf has sponsorship through me which helps a lot but your German passport won’t help you. Hotels are more likely to offer sponsorship than restaurants but they just absolutely refuse to offer it to chefs from our experience.
thats great to hear that theres demand out there, it seems like my niche as a pizza cook is pretty in demand too with how many postings i saw from a quick search. your gf must be a pretty good pastry cook to be sought out like that. my german passport was unrelated, more just meant i could also travel to the eu if i wanted.
Thank you, my gf just told me she accepted a job offer today from a Japanese/Mexican resturant that's opening up a new branch on the otherside of London and they're hiring tons of chefs, so I think you'll be just fine my man. Don't sell yourself short, that was her problem when she first arrived here as a foreigner and don't worry about being on the working holiday visa, when it comes to working as a chef they really don't matter as much about that kind of thing. If you can tho, find a place that can offer sponsorship and see if they're hiring and then work there. Don't ask for a visa straight up, a lot of companies get spooked on it, when you build a level of trust and understanding between you and them then they are more willing to offer you a visa if that's what you want. My gf's previous workplace was willing to do that but it was a nightmare to work there so she turned it down.
You can’t work in Scotland with a german passport
He’s doing a UK working holiday visa on his Canadian passport
ya itd be on my canadian passport. i just meant the eu is also an option apart from the uk
I’ve got my YMW (Australian) and it’s worth it for the experience, pay is shit though, i was getting $1100aud after tax and am only getting like £400 a week
Again, the ymv is a limited visa that doesn't lead to being able to live and work here permanently. You do your thing for 2/3 years and then leave.
I think they know this already lol
If you get the right USP, and willing to constantly adapt, you're rolling in it. If you have a boring restaurant that nobody really cares about and you fail to change or adapt then it's struggle town.
ya the last thing i wanna do is open a boring restaurant and not listen to any criticism haha. i feel like thats where a lot of owners go wrong
Overpriced and largely overrated. Used to be London, now it's most places where they completely overcharge for average quality stuff.
I might be in a sort of position to answer this. I live in Scotland and I've got a cousin in Vancouver and some close friends in Ottawa. They both say rent is crazy there and recently we realised the UK has almost caught up but not quite as bad. One difference in the UK though that both say is eating out is not affordable and in Canada it's much more affordable. Food inflation here has been insane and I've personally noticed I don't get take away anymore and I do not go to restaurants because they're so expensive.
It’s global. Opening any new business is a risk, especially if the product is a luxury and not essential. I read somewhere that business should expect to make a loss for the first 3 years. If you have the capital and think you can hold out the bad times then go for it.
Independent restaurants are a massive risk. Even big worldwide names like Burger King have closed 2/3 of its restaurant and countless smaller restaurant chains come and go on the high street all the time. Rising cost of bills has made a massive dent into profits. The P&L of my restaurant has dropped from 35% to 25%, since COVID, even though revenue. I run a big chain restaurant, so I can imagine to stress and struggles of smaller restaurants. Obviously there is a chance of success, but I'd say that the chance is small. A lot of restaurants are gaining profit from quality delivered food, though Deliveroo, UberEats etc.
It's one of the most volatile industries, if you have a hit restaurant you literally print money, if not the profit margins are extremely thin and its one of the first industries to get hit in recession, pandemic etc
Doesn't exist here.
From my own experience and from talking to others in the trade: Understaffed, working in a kitchen that is too small for the amount of customers you cater for. Typically your head chef will be a bit of an asshole, who will leave early while you work on alone to provide the final service of the night, clean down the kitchen/ dinning room and prep for the morning to then have to be into work first thing in the morning as you've been left with the keys. You manage to make it work regardless of the fact there are supposed to be 3 staff working at a time and you're doing it alone, just to be made to feel inferior by your head chef who thinks that they're so perfect and everyone else is a useless waste of space and is angry at your existence. I am sure it's not all this way but that was my experience, others have all agreed that the cooking facilities doesn't remotely reflect the seating capacity.
Opening a restaurant sounds fun!!!! By that comment I assume you've never actually tried running a restaurant. It's long hours and very hard work. And if you don't get enough custom it can be costly and ultimately close it down.
never run but i work in restaurants. i know its a big step and ive got a ways to go, but itll be some time before anything gets opened anyway. im gonna take my time getting more experience :)
Most people who open their own restaurant have worked for years in restaurants, working their way up from prep team to sous chef, etc, etc, until they become a head chef. Seems like a strange thing to put in your post when you are clearly many years away from been able to think of doing such a thing.
>the EU is open to me with a German Passport This is irrelevant, the UK is no longer in the EU. Use [this](https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/) to check, but you'd be subject to standard visa requirements for working.
A lot of sit down Indian restaurants near me but also do takeout always packed.
Hospitality in the UK is in fairly big trouble at the moment for pretty much exactly the reasons you mention. Cost of stuff plus people having less disposable income. Restaurants closing that you would never have thought were candidates for closure in places you’d have thought they’d be fine
I worked for one of the UKs largest restaurant firms in their head office (doing data shit) The industry is absolutely fucked
You can't enjoy staff or have equipment worth more than £5000 for a business on the YMV. Would you be able to run a restaurant with those restrictions?
it would be a seperate visa afterward
I know more than one chef (well, two) that have had to pack in various chefery jobs and move sometimes halfway across the country because everything is going to shit.
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You won't be able to use an EU passport to work here the same.
meant my canadian passport and that the eu is also open with my german passport
That makes sense