Why do Chefs work more hours for less money than most all other professions?

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I worked as a personal chef, 4 days a week, school hours for several years and clearred 600-950  a week.  

Instructors don't usually have awful hours

caterers can typically take vacations

docs, surgeons, attys all can have outrageous hours.......my ex-husband worked 70+ hours a week for the 15 years we were married.....partners in his lawfirm were known to actually knock off work every day at 5:30 to have dinner with their families.....they are probably still married.

   I worked in Aspen Co. for three years at a successful catering business. We closed down 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall.

But, I worked 9am to 9pm+  every single day in the summer months. I never thought, at the time, that the hours were too long, since I loved the art of the work. I did mostly small dinner parties in high end mansions. We specialized in selling a 5 course sit-down dinner party with tray-pass hors and cordials. We occasionally did buffets also .  Myself and another chef, we averaged about 10 to 15 of these little $1K to $2K gigs a week along with other drop-off food business.

   At that catering job I designed the menus, ordered the food, received the food, prepped the food, loaded the equipment and food in the truck, drove the truck, unloaded at the site, executed the event,managed both FOH and BOH, loaded the equipment back in the truck, drove it back to the shop, unloaded the truck and then washed all  the equipment.

    Short of selling the gigs, I did all the work, this under the anticipation of owning that company because the owner was about 3 or 4 years to retirement and he was telling me that "I was the one"... the one that would inherit his company, become the owner when he retires.

    Well, I never got the oportunity to take over that business, the owner just kept on going.

I worked my ass off, and I am no hack. We did awsome food and events. I can walk into any home and cater any level to the highest of anyone's expectations. But what did I get out of working for that guy? yes maybee some good memories and a great learning experience. But really,

I've got arthritis in my lower back and hips and cervical spinal stenosis.... All related to the hard back breaking work of catering.

As for the guy I worked for, he finally retired very wealthy, and sold his company to a competitor

Amost the same question, but not quite.

1)Plumbers, etectrician, etc all have Unions that actually do something, like set pay scales for that particular State, but more importantly, make trade qualifications and standards to base the pay scales on.

Q: Can you refer me to a hosptiality union that has achieved a State-wide or national  trade qualification or benchmark for cook, bakers, butchers? 

2) There is a fierce, cut-throat competition for the dining dollar.  Every penny has been shaved.  This is not the case for plumbers, electricians, etc.. 

Since there are no qulifications for cooks, there are no qualifications for Chefs, and there are no qualifications for restaurant owners.

Let me repeat that, there are no qualifications for restaurant owners.

And it shows, doesn't it???????????

Because we are self distructive ! Maybe

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleverchef 

My friend of 20 years is an estimator for a predominate insulation company in the LA area. All of the installers are union. The entry level journeymen insulation installers get $32.00 and hour. And because it's union, it costs the company about $52 an hour to work these guys. Let me tell you, half of these guys can not read the electronic blueprints on the job-sites. And, half of these guys don't have a high school diploma.             Well..... what's the starting wage for a culinary graduate?    In my area it's around $12.00 and hour.        And how many years does it take the average journeyman chef to get to the equivalent of $32.00 and hour, unless they are a prodigy or just lucky?. Most executive chefs average around $70K to $80K in my area, a few chefs do better. The journeyman insulation installer is not far behind in pay than the executive chef. And that union trade worker puts in 40 hours a week. If you consider the responsibility of the executive chef, and the amount of hours, chefs are the worst paid professionals in the world.

or stated another way: the journeyman union worker is overpaid!

Depends on your point of view to some degree.

WAIT! I know! Become a journeyman union worker, work 40 hours/week, and have enough to support your second career as a cook-->chef!
 

I think the most popular reason for the primative ways chefs are treated are all based on a lack of business knowledge.

Most chef don't have the ability to calculate the senerio they are in. You have to be able to generate the tools needed

to justify your labor and food cost. I have found that a lot of youngens get into hotel or private business and don't have a clue how the

products find their way to the storeroom.

First, cooking (and cheffing) is not -- or at least not usually -- a profession.  It's a trade.  That may be a little besides the point, because it's a long hour, low money trade -- which was the real point.  But still...

Second, don't be so sure you know what hours other people work.  100 hour weeks are not uncommon for attorneys. 

BDL

Cleverchef,

Read my post again.

Read the part over again where I said the competition for the dining dollar is cut-throat.

Read the part where I said owners/operators don't need any qualifications to open up a place.

The public want their food and they want it cheap.  If they don't, they go someplace where it is cheaper.   It may be a place where 90% of the food comes out of a box or bag, a place that will probably go under in a year's time, but no one really cares.  What do you pay someone to open a pouch?

And that is why Chefs and cooks get so underpayed and overworked.

Yup. And those boys passed the bar exams and adhere to the suggeted rate of pay as set forth by the bar.

Got this from a new little PA at the doctors office. She noted that if everyone was 10 minutes late. It  just snowballs through the day. I said maybe you could charge more!

I bit my tougue and explained that I actually charge more per hour of my time then your young Doctor. I will bring my lap and start to charge

you all for all the time I wait to be seen. In fact today we should calculate the PA discount. I mean, I'm just saying. I wouldn't think about

sending my Assistant to see someone on such an  important matter.

time to have a frank discussion with your docs......if they keep you waiting regularly, it's time to look for a new doc.