The purpose of this study was to investigate and measure those factors in the restaurant industry and how they impacted student persistence and graduation from a culinary school in the Midwest. A correlational approach was utilized to determine if students' perceptions of stress, low pay, and long and odd hours changed as they progressed through this culinary school. The results of this study concluded that as students' progress through culinary school, their perception of these factors do change based on the significance associated more with stress, some with wage, and not much with working conditions and long hours. There was statistical significance in the future stress category from freshman to sophomore year suggesting that students are more understanding of and accepting of future stress in their lives while working in the restaurant industry. There was also change and significance to the mean score from freshman to sophomore year for the wage upon graduation and career wage earnings survey questions creating the assumption that as students' progress through school, they begin to realize and are accepting of not earning a high wage upon graduation or throughout their careers. There was change in statistical significance from freshman students to graduates with their understanding of stress in the industry survey question indicating that graduates perceive the stress in the restaurant industry as more encompassing than freshman students. There was also change and significance in survey questions from freshman year through graduation in the futures stress category. Graduates seem to be more willing and understanding of dealing with stress in their lives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]