Across the U.S., restaurant owners are seeing the same pattern: more inspections, deeper checks, and less warning.From payroll records and tip allocation to job classification and rest-break logs, enforcement agencies are taking a closer, more coordinated look at food-service employers.

Three years after COVID-19 disrupted the global restaurant industry, the workforce that sustained it is still fundamentally unstable.Through continuous research across the United States, Canada, and Australia, PeopleDeal HR identifies that the labor challenge is no longer about “shortage” — it’s about restructuring.

The next decade of workforce transformation will not be defined by how many people a business employs—but by how intelligently that workforce is managed, measured, and empowered through technology. Artificial intelligence and automation are no longer futuristic luxuries; they are fast becoming the invisible infrastructure of everyday operations, from scheduling and compliance to hiring and training.