CHARLOTTE — Johnson & Wales University’s most recent culinary graduates face a job market unlike any in recent memory. “Because people are so scarce, rates are going up,” says Jerry Lanuzza, dean of the College of Food Technology & Innovation.
New grads should expect rates starting between $14 and $16 an hour, compared to $10 to $12 an hour pre-pandemic, he says.
[ Who’s hiring? Here’s a list of job opportunities in the Charlotte area ]
Few restaurants paid minimum wage locally, even before the pandemic, he says.
“You couldn’t find people for $7.25 an hour, and you didn’t want to pay people $7.25 an hour. You get what you pay for,” he says.
New graduate Jacob Whitson found himself in demand when pursuing a pastry internship. He received multiple offers from minimum wage to $14 an hour, eventually settling on an internship with The Fig Tree.
He made $11 an hour — and got to learn more about the fine-dining industry. That fits into his goal to own his own establishment one day.
“I want to do it all,” he says. “It’s all about where you can find your value.”
Whitson recently snagged a permanent job there, earning more than $15 an hour.
Read more here about the market local grads are finding in the food service industry. https://bizj.us/1qa931
(WATCH: Johnson & Wales, JCSU will require students be vaccinated ahead of fall semester)
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