I will use the words of “The Devil Wears Prada” editrix Miranda Priestly to describe the year in restaurants: “Why is no one ready?”

The year started auspiciously enough with openings of Teppanyaki Ginza Onodera (its name changed from Teppanyaki Ginza Sumikawa) and Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar, but by midyear it turned bleak. If it seemed I was taking my time in reporting on new restaurants, it was because they needed loads of extra time to settle in. Hours weren’t set, staffing was in flux, menus were still being tweaked to bolster weak concepts.

Uh, isn’t the time to work out the details perhaps three to four months before opening day?

In these cases, there was, simply, little to recommend when I could not be sure readers would be seeing the same restaurant a day to a month later. Returning to the same restaurants repeatedly took time away from other restaurants I could have been visiting.

And while I have the luxury of an expense account, the typical diner is more likely to go once and never go back. In an island community, diners will always say everything is great to your face, then vote with their feet.

It wasn’t always this way. In previous times, even if chefs believed they were unprepared, they at least presented the veneer of professionalism. No more. The reason is twofold.

>> It’s the economy: A low unemployment rate of 3.2 percent means it’s a worker’s market. Increased competition from a boom in retail hires and the higher paying construction industry means there’s a reduced pool of talent for restaurants. The restaurant industry is already known for high turnover of workers, but the pace has quickened to the point where at least one popular East-side restaurant had to close its doors temporarily after losing kitchen and front-of-the-house employees. With an already understaffed startup, losing just one key person can be a major setback that shows in kitchen mishaps and slow service.

>> It’s a new generation: Fifty years ago, workers took jobs expecting to die in place because they trusted their employers to take care of their interests. Those days are gone. The Economic Policy Institute reports that workers’ income has lagged behind inflation since 2011, most corporations have done away with pensions, a high percentage of small businesses offer limited opportunities for growth, and CEOs earn 331 times the wages of an average worker. A 2012 ManpowerGroup survey showed 80 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs. A new generation of workers is rejecting this broken American dream, opting not to make someone else rich but to help themselves get ahead.

There are few barriers to entering food service now that the most ambitious and talented of young chefs are able to take to the streets via food trucks and pop-ups, and are sending their messages out via social media. The downside: While these individuals may be trained in culinary, they may not be schooled in running a business, training they might have received while gaining experience in a professional kitchen.

Unfortunately, these underlying trends will continue into 2016. There is no real solution outside of raising wages and offering incentives to keep employees happy. Of course, that adds to the cost of running a business, which generally increases diners’ tabs. It’s a delicate balancing act that not all can afford to undertake.

OTHERWISE, here’s a look at what was on the plate.

>> Food destinations: A couple of new culinary destinations opened up this year. Street Grindz LLC, known for its Eat the Street monthly food truck rallies, landed a permanent food park and marketplace, launching Makers & Tasters Kewalo on the site of the former Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. Open daily, the site also serves as the home of Eat the Street, held on the last Friday of each month. In September, a batch of new eateries began opening at 808 Center at 808 Sheridan St., covering a range of edibles from fast Szechuan fare to upscale sushi to conveyor-belt shabu shabu. Chinatown, always a gathering place for Asian fare, is also becoming more diverse in its offerings, attracting the next generation of chefs who offer progressive dining experiences. One to watch for next year is former Vintage Cave chef Chris Kajioka, who is settling in on King Street next door to The Pig & The Lady.

>> Loco mocos for all: I had an interesting conversation with a local chef who returned from high-profile stints abroad. “Do you think the food here has changed a lot?” I asked. His response was no, he’s still seeing all the same dishes merely being presented in different ways. So it goes for the Koreanization of dishes (just add gochujang) and the continuing makeovers of the loco moco, which appeared in several luxe incarnations this year. Aloha Terrace opened on Kapahulu Avenue to offer about a dozen different versions. You can find a smoked meat breakfast loco moco at Holoholo Bar & Grill and a risotto-filet mignon loco moco at Longhi’s. By year’s end, chef Jon Matsubara was offering his signature lobster loco moco at Bloomingdale’s Kaola restaurant.

>> We’re becoming juice connoisseurs: Last year, we were happy to detox with any old juice. This year, it had to be cold-pressed, squeezed out in a way that preserves the living enzymes of fruit and veggies. Look for Jugolife in Kailua and Moiliili, Instapressed in Kakaako, and on Monsarrat Avenue, find Shaka Pressed Juice and Parachutes at Sunny Days.

>> Retro world: Diners are wooed by comforts of the past, and what works for food also works for desserts and drinks. By year’s end we were enjoying hummingbird cake reworked as pancakes, and banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery & Cafe. And at bars like Smith & King’s and The Dumb Coq you’ll find a repertoire that includes such 19th-century libations as Sazeracs and Tom Collins.

Happy eating in 2016.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews appear every Wednesday in the StarAdvertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.