While there are areas where the "Fachkräftemangel" (lack of skilled laborers) is actually real, the problem for gastronomy is the minimum wage, which is ~12 Euros. Why choose being a service worker or part of the kitchen brigade in (especially small) gastronomy (where, often, all you get is only slightly above minimum wage), if there are other, easier choices which pay basically the same?
As someone who was service staff as a student, I completely understand that, to be honest. It doesn't help that many restaurants just fired their whole service staff during COVID, even though there are other instruments like "Kurzarbeit" (where the state gives you welfare, and you temporarily only work few hours or not at all, if no work is available at your place of labor) - obviously people find new jobs in this case and aren't available anymore.
> Why choose being a service worker in gastronomy
The tipping money often exceeds the wage, from what I hear.
Is this true in Germany? As an American, I was always of the impression that in continental Europe, tips were as a rule a much smaller part of compensation.
Not as extreme as in the US, but it's still true. My brother nearly outearned me during our studies, I was a working part time student and he worked tables on the Weekend.