Weymouth's hospitality staff shortage leads to campaign curbing the industry's stigma
Some of the town's bars and restaurants are trying to abolish the "hospitality culture" of being underpaid and working long unsociable hours
Last updated 11th May 2021
A number of Weymouth bars and restaurants have grouped together to curb the stigma against the hospitality industry.
Since the pandemic local businesses are finding it hard to recruit staff members as Covid has lead to many abandoning the industry completely.
Playyard, Kika Beach, The Closet, Batida, The George, Harveys, Bacaro, Quayside bar & Kitchen and Shalims are all looking for new team members for the summer.
Working long hours, being paid minimum wage and zero career development are just some of the stereotypes we hear about working in Hospitality.
In a post on Instagram PlayYard go against those, saying, it pays more than minimum wage, the job is enjoyable, it's fun working with like-minded creative people and it could lead to you opening your own bar or restaurant one day.
Josh Skevington is the Head Bartender and General Manager of Playyard, he says people don't realise the transferrable skills and knowledge you can gain from working in the industry:
"I didn't find what I really loved doing until I started working in bars. It is somewhere that I found camaraderie with people.
"It always comes back to the people but I think if I were to really nail it down though, I would say I love the creative side of it, especially working in a cocktail bar, you can learn some incredible things and nine times out of 10 if you work with a good team, they will support you in coming up with new drinks and news ideas.
"It's much the same if you work in a kitchen, you all work together, you all develop your own dishes, you always find out what's good and what's bad about them."
Even though Josh enjoys the job, he does understand why there is a shortage in people applying for jobs in the trade.
"Because of the stigma behind it people are scared, especially young people, it's a daunting prospect for them. They become used to their solitary lives where as before, being young meant being social, it meant being out with your friends going to the pub.
"The key to breaking the stigma is education on the bar trade and the hospitality trade as a whole, hotels, pubs, bars, restaurants. It can be really informative to have things like open days, you are not only meeting the people you work with, but the people you are working for and you get an idea of what it's like."
In reply to being asked what Josh enjoys most about the job, he said it is as simple as making someone's day.
"There is nothing more rewarding than making someone happy with a drink or plate of food. Recently I put a drink in front of a 90 year old lady and she said that's the best drink she's ever had in here life.
"I gave her one of our Mary Poppins drinks, it had a bubble on the top that you can pop and I put it down in front of her and she looked at it with this huge smile on her face. It was really sweet to see, and when she left she gave me a £2 tip and said don't spend it all at once and my heart just melted.
"See, the job can be really fulfilling, you feel like you've done a real days work while making someone's day, you can't put money on that."