National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day Date in the current year: February 23, 2024

A lot of people associate the hospitality industry with hotels, but the hotel industry is just one of its many branches. In a narrow sense, the hospitality industry includes hotels and food service. In such a case, it may also be referred to as HoReCa (short for Hotel/Restaurant/Café), a term that is primarily used in Europe.

The United States Department of Labor, however, uses a broader definition of the hospitality industry that includes the hotel industry in its entirety (hotels, motels, hostels, inns, tourist cabins, etc.), food service industry (eating and drinking places), theme parks, travel and tourism (including passenger transportation), and event planning.

The hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing sectors. The success of hospitality establishments is largely dependent on their employees, and we mean all of them, including those who don’t directly interact with customers and are virtually invisible to them. Sadly, their hard work is often taken for granted by both customers and employers. Hospitality workers are considered easily replaceable and therefore not treated with the respect they deserve.

Working in the hospitality industry isn’t easy. In fact, it has one of the largest turnover rates due to low wages, long hours, irregular and inflexible schedules, inability to work remotely, limited growth opportunities, and the seasonal nature of many hospitality jobs that results in waves of layoffs at the end of the season. According to statistics, the hospitality industry was the lowest-paid sector in the Unites States as of November 2021.

National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day was launched by the food-focused online marketplace Food Service Direct to show appreciation to food service workers and other hospitality employees. According to statistics, there are almost 15 million Americans working in the hospitality industry, and almost half of them feel like a lack of recognition keeps them from enjoying their job and getting ahead.

How can you observe National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day? Of course, by expressing gratitude to the hospitality workers you know for everything they do. Make sure to thank them for excellent service and tip generously because tips make up a significant part of the income for hospitality workers.

National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day isn’t the only holiday celebrating people employed in the hospitality industry. For example, hotel employees, of whom there are nearly 2 million in the United States, have their own professional holiday, National Hotel Employee Day, celebrated each year on September 1. In addition, National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day is observed the day after Supermarket Employees Day; both holidays celebrate essential workers who are often overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.