Why 3 Out of 4 Hospitality Workers Will Quit This Year, And What You Can Do About It

Most operators don’t even flinch at 70% turnover anymore. It’s just part of the job. But that number comes with a cost.

Every time someone walks out, you lose money, momentum, and culture. And if you’re running a busy team, it can start to feel like you’re always in hiring mode and never in building mode.

The truth is, this level of churn isn’t normal. It’s just become common. And while you can’t eliminate turnover completely, you can cut it in half. Some of the smartest operators are already doing it.

Here’s how.

Start with pay, not perks

Pay still drives the decision to stay or leave. A few dollars an hour matters. Especially when your people are being recruited weekly by other restaurants offering “just a little more.” The average cost to replace one hourly team member is nearly $6,000. Even small raises or loyalty-based bonuses pay for themselves fast.

One group we work with added a $100 retention bonus for anyone who stayed 60 days. Simple, clear, and effective. Their early churn dropped by nearly 30% in three months.

Give them a life, not just a schedule

People don’t leave jobs just because of money. They leave when their job keeps them from living the rest of their life. If your team never knows their schedule in advance, or can’t switch shifts when they need to, they’re going to burn out.

Flexible scheduling used to be a headache. Now there are tools to make it seamless. Operators who offer shift swapping or early schedule posting see fewer callouts and higher engagement. One QSR group told us it was the easiest win of the year.

Culture is the new currency

Respect still goes further than a raise. If your crew feels ignored, disposable, or blamed, they won’t stay long. You don’t need to run a culture program. You just need to give people a voice and actually listen when they speak up.

Check-ins work. Recognition works. Even a “how are you doing this week?” once in a while can keep someone from walking.

One Cantaloupe customer added a quick, anonymous voice check-in at the end of every shift. It’s now their favorite dashboard. Not because it’s perfect, but because it tells them who’s tired, who’s thriving, and who might need help before it’s too late.

Listen before they quit

Most operators don’t find out why someone quit until the exit interview, if they even get one. By that point, it’s already cost you time and money. The best time to ask is when they’re still working.

A few minutes a week. That’s all it takes. And when your team sees that you’re not just collecting feedback but acting on it, they stick around. It’s not complicated. It just has to be real.

Turnover at this level isn’t just expensive. It’s a sign that something’s off. But it’s fixable. You don’t need a new HR department or a big budget. You just need to show up for your team the way you’d want someone to show up for you.

The operators doing that today are the ones who’ll still have a team tomorrow.

Some operators are signing up to test a new voice-based assistant built for hourly teams. Cantaloupe AI, a hospitality tech company out of New Orleans, just announced a tool that gives workers a safe, anonymous way to share how they’re feeling while giving operators real data to spot burnout and intervene early.