Restaurateurs from Britain s Asian communities are finding it just as difficult to attract new catering recruits as their mainstream counterparts. A look at mainstream statistics shows the seriousness of the problem. Mayday Staff Services, a catering recruitment agency, reports a 30 per cent increase in vacancies for permanent chefs over the last two years. So far, the slack hasn t been taken up by new recruits. Student intake levels for hotel and catering courses have stayed fairly even over the last few years.
Debate continues over which factors are most to blame.
All apply to a greater or lesser extent to the Indian sector. What s becoming clear, however, is that Indian restaurateurs, far from sitting on the periphery of the crisis, are caught smack in the middle. Last month, Keith Vaz MP promised to raise the matter in the House of Commons. Government delay in granting work permits to skilled Indian chefs was causing great problems for the Indian restaurant sector, he said. Family restaurants are disappearing at a very fast rate.