Hard Work Brings Home the Bacon

Women have made significant employment gains in the restaurant and hospitality industry over the past decade, according to a National Restaurant Association report.

The report, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, states that from 1985 to 1995, the number of females holding supervisory positions increased by 35 percent, to number 260,000, almost 70 percent of all food-preparation and service supervisors.

Women-owned eating - and drinking-place firms in the US climbed 41 percent between 1987 and 1992, now numbering at 128,000 - accounting for more than one-third in the category.

"Success in this industry is determined by hard work," says Thomas Kershaw, chairman of the board of the National Restaurant Association. "Whether they have climbed ... the corporate career ladder, run the family-owned restaurant, or financed and built a business of their own, the increasing number of women restaurant professionals proves that career opportunities abound..."

Women attribute success to small-business loans, mentoring, networking, and family, and employee support - and, most all, perseverance.