Former hospitality workers reflect on how the pandemic spurred job pivots – and big life changes – five years later

Five years ago on 16 March, the sound of my cellphone buzzing on the nightstand jolted me awake around 8am. Unless you’re a morning prep cook or a baker, restaurant workers aren’t typically early risers. Sleeping late isn’t a luxury when you work in restaurants; it’s a necessity – essential to managing the job’s rigorous mental and physical demands.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re laying everyone off at the restaurant,” the gravelly voice on the other end said. “Someone from HR will be in touch with you shortly.” It was the general manager of the midtown Manhattan steakhouse where I had been waiting tables for over two years. Like most hard-nosed restaurant managers, he wasn’t known for being very sentimental. But that morning, he seemed genuinely remorseful.