The article is based on a conversation with Michael Urbach, a 51-year-old driver for the food delivery service. It has been edited for clarity.
I left the industry during the Pandemic and don't plan to return.
I have the same amount of money, but have more flexibility in my hours. I get to spend more time with my kids. My quality of life is better too.
I started out as a server at a restaurant at the age of 23. I've worked at a range of full-service and quick-service restaurants, including some well-known chains.
When the Pandemic hit in March 2020, the restaurant I managed closed down and the industry was in turmoil as restaurants laid off workers or reduced their hours. I couldn't get a job because no one was hiring.
In September 2020 I started working as a driver for the ride-sharing service.
I was able to make money quickly, though my income can change a lot.
In February 2020 I made around 3,600 dollars. I made an average of $1,250 a week as an driver for the ride-sharing service in April and October of 2021. TheInsider viewed the documentation to verify the earnings.
I look after my two young kids with their mother. I take care of them for a week at a time, and I'm now able to balance my schedule much more easily. I take weekends off when I look after my kids, and work just a few hours a day while they're at school. I work from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day when I don't have my kids.
My phone doesn't ring on weekends. There is nothing that distracts me from my kids.
If I got a week where I worked less than 45 hours, I was lucky. I worked late at night or early in the morning. If my family had not been able to watch my kids, it would have cost me a fortune.
I was able to have better shift patterns, but I had to take a pay cut because some of the restaurants I worked at weren't open as late.
As a general manager in the restaurant industry, you're always available to work. Christmas Day and Thanksgiving were the only stress-free days I had.
Staffing in restaurants has always been a problem for me. It's an industry with a high turnover rate because most people don't plan on having a career there and just see it as a stepping stone.
Over the last few months, the understaffing has gotten worse. The H1N1 has made more staff realize that they are not paid enough, that they are working long and unsocial hours, and that they are dealing with rude customers on a daily basis.
People don't want to work in the industry anymore.
Restaurants are closing early or closing their dining rooms for a whole day because they can't find enough workers.
I believe the industry should have changed many years ago. Many restaurants are going to change the way they do business or go out of business.
Do you have a story about the labor shortage? Please email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.
