Weariness, frustration, and irritability are three common signs of burnout. They also appear to be common characteristics of modern people, trying to deal with increasing demands for their silent labor and growing feelings of disenchantment with their work or the state of the world in general. For many consumers, such negative feelings can be effectively addressed, at least in the short term, by a fun evening out at a restaurant, where they can obtain a delicious meal that they don’t have to plan, cook, or clean up after.

Yet they are not the only ones feeling burned out. The detrimental, worrisome trend has reached hospitality workers, from servers to hotel staff, receptionists to bussers. According to a recent survey, more than three-quarters of managers and shift workers describe themselves as burned out, which might be due at least partly to their long hours: A startling 98 percent explained that they regularly worked overtime.

In turn, hospitality shift workers are quitting in droves. According to another survey, focused on restaurant managers, nearly two-thirds believe that they do not have enough workers to maintain effective operations. They also express worry about the workers currently on staff; turnover rates remain astronomical, with no indications of coming down.

For many workers, the essence of the problem is pay. Most states still allow restaurants to pay servers well under the minimum wage, with the expectation that tips will make up the rest. Therefore, servers can count on less than $3 in guaranteed pay per hour. The remainder, and thus a living wage, depends on factors that are largely outside their control, including the popularity of the establishment on any given night, the performance of the kitchen, the weather, and which shifts they are assigned.

While citing insufficient pay as a primary driver of their quitting intentions, service workers also highlight the challenges created by inconsistent scheduling and a lack of clear structure within their employing organizations. These trends appear global too, such that approximately two-thirds of shift workers in the United Kingdom report high levels of stressors in their work.

Resolving the problem seemingly demands a multifaceted approach. As one industry leader suggested, the cause for this great resignation goes beyond any individual restaurant and instead is reflective of corporate cultures and larger systems in place. Still, employees might benefit from separating their work from their personal identity. Romanticizing constant hard work is common, especially in the United States, but ultimately unsupportable. Such reminders need to reach managers too, who risk further alienating workers if they fail to recognize their need for downtime and breaks, reasonable schedules and pay, and support. Considering the stress inherent to restaurant and hospitality work, creating a corporate culture that helps employees trust that they can approach leadership with concerns and be heard is critical.

Discussion Questions

1. Should restaurants continue to be allowed to pay servers less than the minimum wage? Why or why not?
2. What tactics should restaurants, hotels, and other operators establish to alleviate burnout trends in the hospitality industry?

Sources: Matt Jennings, “Why Your Favorite Server Quit—the Real Cost of Hospitality Burnout,” Food & Wine, May 5, 2025; Nic Paton, “Hospitality and Shift Workers Struggling with Burnout,” Occupational Health & Wellbeing Plus, March 28, 2025; Rebecca Freiberg, “Preventing Restaurant Employee Burnout,” Modern Restaurant Management, May 19, 2021.