There is an easy story to tell about hospitality right now. Margins are tight. Costs are rising. People are burnt out. The industry is “in crisis”.
It’s an easy story because much of that is true. But, although this ran like a thread through much of the data, it was not the most prominent or the most frequent thing our community spoke about. The results were nuanced, emotional, and remarkably consistent.
What came through most clearly in the Countertalk Community Survey wasn’t disengagement or bitterness — it was attachment. Despite the pressure, despite the instability, despite the very real personal cost, people care deeply about this industry. They still believe fiercely in its purpose, its humanity, and its potential.
That love shows up in the way respondents describe what hospitality does well: community, connection, opportunity, learning. It shows up in their ambitions for how hospitality could do better: their wish for progression and strong leadership. And it shows up even more clearly in the trade-offs they are willing to make.
Again and again, people told us the same thing, which is in equal measure surprising and understandable: They will compromise on pay — but not on values, respect, culture, or dignity.
That is not naïveté. It is optimism rooted in experience. And it places a responsibility on all of us within the industry to earn that loyalty, not rely on it.
Two truths the industry holds at once
At a macro level, respondents were realistic — even bleak — about the state of the industry. When people in hospitality talk about the current moment, they are not speaking in abstract economic terms. They are describing a felt experience of fragility — one where costs rise faster than revenue, risk is increasingly personalised, and stability feels provisional rather than assumed. When asked to describe hospitality right now:
41.8% described hospitality as surviving
34.7% described it as in crisis
0% described it as thriving
Optimism about hospitality as a long-term career averaged 2.7 out of 5
This matters not because it confirms pessimism, but because it sets the emotional backdrop against which every workplace decision is made. Survival mode becomes the norm — and with it, a narrowing of focus.
And yet, at a personal level, hospitality still matters profoundly. When asked how much of their identity would be lost if hospitality disappeared from their CV tomorrow, respondents averaged 3.8 out of 5.
That contradiction — pessimism about the system, loyalty to the industry — is the emotional centre of this survey.
“The financial model is broken.”
“It feels like we’re constantly one bad month away from trouble.”
What’s driving the pressure right now?
When we asked respondents what had the most impact on their business or workplace this year, the answer was clear: pressure isn’t coming from one direction — it’s coming from everywhere at once. The most significant factors were:
Cost of produce — 69.4%
National Insurance — 49.0%
Cost of utilities — 39.8%
VAT — 33.7%
Staff retention — 21.4%
Business rates — 21.4%
Rent — 15.3%
What this data shows is not just rising costs, but a stacking of unavoidable expenses — many of them fixed or externally imposed — landing on businesses with very little room to manoeuvre.
The cost of produce stands out as the single most significant pressure point. Nearly seven in ten respondents cited it as having the biggest impact on their workplace this year. On the ground, this means constant recalculation: menu changes, reformulation, portion control, and quiet compromises — all while trying to maintain quality and consistency.
Alongside this, National Insurance and VAT feature prominently, underlining how acutely fiscal policy is being felt at operating level. These are not costs that can be negotiated, absorbed temporarily, or deferred — they are structural, immediate, and cumulative.
On the ground, this means shrinking margins, constant recalculation, and fewer buffers when things go wrong. It also helps explain why so many respondents describe the industry as surviving rather than stabilising: when costs stack up and flexibility disappears, economic pressure doesn’t stay abstract, it reshapes day-to-day reality.
“Margins being eaten away by ingredient costs.”
“Supplier prices changing constantly.”
“It feels like we’re constantly trying to make the numbers work.”
When pressure becomes personal
One of the most striking findings in the survey is how often economic challenge is reframed as an individual burden. While pay is undeniably an issue, 69.1% of respondents who have considered leaving their role said it was for reasons other than pay. This suggests that the problem is not just what people earn — but what they are asked to carry.
Just 8.2% feel energised and motivated most days
13.3% feel drained
6.1% describe themselves as actively burnt out
19.4% are considering leaving the industry altogether
One of the on-the-ground impacts of the economic climate is a growing sense of impermanence. Even among those currently employed, confidence in hospitality as a long-term career is low, averaging 2.7 out of 5. Economic pressure doesn’t just squeeze margins - it erodes morale, and that can create a downwards spiral.
“Just getting through each day rather than working towards anything.”
“Everything feels reactive.”
Values as infrastructure, not ideology
One of the most interesting insights from the survey is how clearly respondents articulate their values, and how firmly they draw the line around them. Hours, role titles, even stability were also commonly cited as trade-offs people make in order to stay in work they believe in. But when asked what is non-negotiable, the hierarchy flipped.
79% said respect and dignity
66% fairness and honesty
57% kindness and psychological safety
52% work–life balance
Pay barely featured in this list. In fact, 63% said they are willing to compromise on pay (within limits). This matters deeply - not because it means our industry can save money by implementing exploitative contracts that we may have seen in the past, but because this tells us is that values are not abstract ideals for hospitality workers. They are infrastructure. They are what make demanding, physical, emotionally intense work viable over time.
And this matters economically. High turnover, burnout, and disengagement are not just human costs — they are operational ones. When values are compromised, the industry pays in recruitment costs, lost knowledge, inconsistent standards, and reputational damage. Protecting culture, then, is not a moral indulgence. It is a strategic necessity as the deciding factor in whether people stay, disengage, or leave altogether.
"At this stage in my life, I'm unwilling to compromise on my values. Life is too short."
Benefits as survival, not perks.
When respondents talked about what they value in their own workplaces, their answers were revealing in their simplicity. The most meaningful “benefits” were not flashy or aspirational - there was little mention of gym membership, or discounts. Instead they were foundational:
Work–life balance and predictable time (61%)
Team culture and respect (51%)
Staff food and basic care (42%)
Training and development (38%)
What stands out here is not just what people want, but why. These priorities reflect a desire for sustainability, not short-term gain. People are thinking about whether hospitality can coexist with the rest of their lives — with family, health, creativity, and longevity.
This is where the industry’s strengths and its vulnerabilities intersect. Hospitality is built on care — but care cannot be extracted endlessly without being replenished, both on an individual and an industry scale.
Leadership and progression: one structural challenge, not two
Throughout the survey, leadership and progression appear as two central themes, and so consistently appear together that separating them would be artificial. When respondents talk about leadership, they are not describing charisma or hierarchy. They are describing whether anyone is paying attention to their future.
And when they talk about progression, they are not asking for constant promotion. They are asking for movement, clarity, and a sense that growth is possible - and they know that this requires leadership that sees them, invests in them, and takes responsibility for their growth.
The numbers are stark:
37% of respondents explicitly said lack of progression is something they would change in their current workplace
36% cited lack of progression as a reason they have considered leaving a role
37% said lack of progression is something the industry consistently gets wrong
17.3% selected lack of progression as one of the most urgent issues facing hospitality right now
That last number may look smaller, but it is revealing (particularly given the sheer number of urgent issues right now). Progression is rarely named in isolation. It is embedded inside that broader frustration about leadership, burnout, and sustainability.
When we coded progression-related responses in more detail, a pattern emerged:
58% described no visible pathway forward
46% described skills increasing without role or pay progression
39% described progression as only possible through ownership or burnout
27% described unequal or inconsistent access to opportunity
In a sector where margins are thin and time is scarce, leadership can easily become reactive. But the data suggests that this short-termism is quietly corrosive. Without leadership that creates momentum, progression stalls — and when progression stalls, people leave. This is not impatience. It is stagnation. And stagnation is corrosive — especially in an industry that asks so much physically, emotionally, and socially.
“There is zero leadership. The business owner appears to assume the business will exist forever without improving it.”
“Improved leadership — more than one personal review meeting each year, a sense of working towards something rather than just getting through each day.”
“Structure doesn’t allow for me to progress beyond CDP.”
“It’s impossible to make a long term career unless you want to be a manager/owner.”
What people value most, day to day
When respondents talked about what they value in their own workplaces, their answers were revealing in their simplicity. The most meaningful “benefits” were not flashy or aspirational - there was little mention of gym membership, or discounts. Instead they were foundational:
Work–life balance and predictable time (61%)
Team culture and respect (51%)
Staff food and basic care (42%)
Training and development (38%)
What stands out here is not just what people want, but why. These priorities reflect a desire for sustainability, not short-term gain. People are thinking about whether hospitality can coexist with the rest of their lives — with family, health, creativity, and longevity.
This is where the industry’s strengths and its vulnerabilities intersect. Hospitality is built on care — but care cannot be extracted endlessly without being replenished, both on an individual and an industry scale.
What still works — and why it matters
For all the strain captured in this survey, one thing is unmistakable: people do not stay in hospitality because they have nowhere else to go. They stay because they love it and that's because, at its best, hospitality offers something that many other industries no longer do: a sense of belonging, satisfaction, purpose and human connection.
When we asked respondents what hospitality does well, the answers were strikingly consistent:
Community and belonging (63%)
Low barriers to entry (57%)
Human connection (52%)
Learning by doing (46%)
These are not incidental perks. They are structural strengths — and they are the reason hospitality continues to play such an outsized role in both the economy and cultural life.
Hospitality creates jobs quickly, absorbs people at moments of transition, and provides meaningful work to those who don’t thrive in rigid, corporate environments. It is one of the few sectors where you can arrive with little formal experience and still build confidence, skill, and identity through doing.
That broader contribution is easy to overlook when conversations focus solely on margins and survival. But our survey suggests that the people inside the industry understand this value instinctively, and that is why they are so invested in protecting it. The struggles are created by an economic and political backdrop which does not understand these values, and therefore does not offer the protection we need.
“Meaningful jobs for diverse groups of people who don’t thrive in desk jobs.”
“Provides more than just a job.”
THE FINAL WORD
The most hopeful finding in this survey is not resilience. It is choice. People are choosing hospitality — not because it is easy or lucrative, but because it aligns with their values and sense of self. They are choosing culture over pay, dignity over status, meaning over money. It's a choice which reflects both the strength of the industry, and the depth of responsibility it carries.
That choice deserves to be honoured - not just because it is personal, but because it sustains something much bigger.
Hospitality is one of the UK’s most culturally visible and economically important industries. It employs millions, anchors high streets, supports tourism, and creates the everyday places where people gather, celebrate, and connect. Much of that value is being held in place right now by people — employers and employees alike — operating in prolonged survival mode.
The survey shows just how narrow that operating margin has become. When businesses are navigating rising produce costs, higher employment taxes, volatile utilities, and reduced consumer spending all at once, focus inevitably tightens around the immediate: keeping doors open, paying staff, maintaining standards. In that context, it’s not that care, progression, or long-term planning don’t matter — it’s that they become harder to prioritise when the lens narrows.
Protecting hospitality’s future is about widening the lens again, together.
From government, that means creating conditions that give businesses more room to breathe — recognising hospitality’s economic and cultural contribution through fairer tax structures, practical policy support, and a long-term view of the sector as a skilled profession.
From employers, it means continuing to do what so many are already trying to do under pressure: holding onto the human qualities that make hospitality work. Small, consistent actions — clearer communication, visible pathways, strong leadership, realistic expectations — can make a meaningful difference even when resources are limited.
And from Countertalk, it means playing its part as a connector and supporter: sharing insight, amplifying good practice, and helping employers and teams learn from one another in a system where no one is operating in isolation.
Because if hospitality is to remain an industry people actively choose, rather than one they reluctantly endure, it will be because everyone involved has found ways to protect what already works, even in difficult conditions. Care, progression, and culture are not luxuries. They are the threads that hold hospitality together — especially when the system is under strain.
