Kharasch: Veterans have a place in the restaurant business

I am a veteran, proud to have served my country, and would do it again today if asked. Overall, I think my attitude is shared by my fellow veterans.

As I look back and ask myself what was the hardest part of being a soldier, I have to say that it was the day I left the military. Re-entering civilian life took years of adjustment. In the military, everyone respects the job the other person does. We show up on time every day and put others' safety above our own. Most importantly, everyone in the military understands that if you give us an opportunity, we can learn and excel in any job.

Which brings me to this Veterans Day article.

I am on a mission to help my fellow veterans find their way in the civilian world and, of course, I am focusing on the hospitality industry.

The hospitality industry welcomed me when my tour was over. I spent my GI Bill benefits at The Culinary Institute of America, which started in 1946 as a school that prepared World War II veterans for careers in the food industry.

And it's still a great industry when it comes to offering on-the-job training and the ability to move up based on performance.

More than half of the 250,000 or so vets who were out of work in 2022 were between the ages of 25 and 54. If you're one of them, you are someone a restaurant owner or manager would be smart to consider for employment. You have a work ethic and experience that put you head and shoulders above the typical applicant.

You know how to show up on time. Every job is a mission. You understand what it means to respect superiors and fellow workers. You know how to work with people of diverse backgrounds, and most of all, you love to work. All great selling points for a resume.

And if you own or manage a restaurant, you could do well to recruit and hire vets. As an employer, it might help you to know that many times veterans with PTSD like to work in pairs, meaning that if you hire two veterans to work alongside each other, they will be more productive and stay at the job longer.

Mary Carmody is the founder of the Midwest Veterans Closet in North Chicago, MidwestVeteransCloset.org. Thanks to generous donors, veterans can shop free there every day. Their mission is to help homeless vets and, most importantly, try to keep any more veterans from becoming homeless.

Mary has acquired a new property where, in addition to building a new Veterans Closet, she is building a culinary and hospitality center for the education and employment of veterans and their families. Students would earn a certificate that will help open the doors to employment immediately upon their graduation.

Restaurants have had "help wanted" signs in the window for the past two years. If you're a vet, present yourself as a solution to their staffing problems. If you're an owner or manager, change the sign to read: "Are you a vet? Come talk to me about your future."

It's been a few years since my service, but "we in the military get more done by 9 a.m. than most people do in a day!" are still my words to live by. To me, it's pretty simple. Whether you're looking for a job or for employees, vets are some of the best on the market.

• Izzy Kharasch is president and founder of Hospitality Works, Inc., a bar and restaurant consulting company. Over the last 30 years, Kharasch has helped more than 700 food service, retail and consulting businesses worldwide improve their operations and profits. He is offering a free phone consultation with Daily Herald area business owners. Email him at: Izzy@hospitalityworks.com.