Forked - A New Standard for American Dining - 1st Edition (2016)

8/19/2019 Forked - A New Standard for American Dining - 1st Edition (2016)

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FORKED A New Standard for American Dining

Saru Jayaraman

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1Oxord Universiy Press is a deparmen o he Universiy o Oxord. I urhers

he Universiy’s objecive o excellence in research, scholarship, and educaion by publishing worldwide.Oxord is a regisered rade mark o Ox ord Universiy

Press in he UK and cerain oher counries.

Published in he Unied Saes o America by Oxord Universiy Press Madison Avenue, New York, N Y , Unied Saes o America.

© Saru Jayaraman

Firs Ediion published in

All r ighs reser ved. No par o his publica ion may be reproduced, sored in

a rerieval sysem, or ransmited, in any orm or by any means, wihou heprior permission in wriing o Ox ord Universiy Press, or as expressly permited by law, by license, or under er ms agreed w ih he appropriae reproducion

righs organizaion. Inquiries concerning reproducion ouside he scope o heabove should be sen o he ighs Deparmen, Oxord Universiy Press, a he

address above.

You mus no circulae his work in any oher ormand you mus impose his same condiion on any acquirer.

Caaloging-in-Publicaion daa is on file a he Library o Congress

ISBN ––––

Prined by Sheridan, USA

Tis maerial is no inended o be, and should no be considered, a subsiue or medical oroher proessional advice. reamen or he condiions described in his maerial is highly

dependen on he individual circumsances. And, while his maerial is designed o offeraccurae inormaion wih respec o he subjec mater covered and o be curren as o heime i was writen, research and knowledge abou medical and healh issues is consanlyevolving and dose schedules or medicaions are being revised coninually, wih new side

effecs recognized and accouned or regularly. eaders mus hereore always check heproduc inormaion and clinical procedures wih he mos up-o-dae published producinormaion and daa shees provided by he manuacurers and he mos recen codes oconduc and saey regulaion. Te publisher and he auhors make no represenaions or

warranies o readers, express or implied, as o he accuracy or compleeness o his maerial. Wihou limiing he oregoing, he publisher and he auhors make no represenaions or

warranies as o he accuracy or efficacy o he drug dosages menioned in he maerial. Teauhors and he publisher do no accep, and expressly disclaim, any responsibiliy or any

liabiliy, loss or risk ha may be claimed or incurred as a consequence o he use and/orapplicaion o any o he conens o his maerial.

Oxord Universiy Press is no responsible or any websies (or heir conen) reerred oin his book ha are no owned or conrolled by he publisher.


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o he million resauran workers naionwide.

o my children, who say hey wan o be

‘OC sar’ resauran workers when hey grow up.

And o everyone who works o make his

indusry beter for all of us.


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CONTENTS

Acknowledgmens ix

. Inroducion: Why We Are Forked

. Casual and Family-Syle esaurans: ippedOver he Edge

Te Olive Garden Vimala’s Curryblossom Caé

. Fine Dining: Te Grea Service Divide Craf Te Capial Grille

. Mexican Food: Climbing he Ladder aco Bell Chipole

. Burgers, Bills, and No Benefis McDonald’s In-N-Ou Burger

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C O N T E N T S

vii i

. A ale o wo Sandwiches Subway

Zingerman’s . Te Coffee Caé: A Place or Debae?

Sarbucks Manieso Caé

. Diners: Change Is Possible Denny’s

Florida Avenue Grill

. Conclusion: Te oad rom Here

Index


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Tis book was mos definiely a eam effor. Firs, many hanks o

everyone a OC: our amazing resauran worker members andleaders; he many abulous resauran employer members who

parner wih esauran Opporuniies Cener (OC), many o whom are profiled in his book; board members o Diners Unied,

he new and growing group o consumers who are paving he wayor a new kind o consumer movemen; our donors and unders,

especially he Ford Foundaion or helping o launch his book; andour board, allies, execuive eam, and saff all over he counry. For

research assisance, connecions o subjecs, and general suppor,many hanks o Chrisina Flees, eofilo eyes, Mike odriguez,

Michaela Allen, Graham Kovich, OC Michigan members, Daniaajendra, Alex Galimberi, Lauren Jacobs, Kennard ay, and pro-

essors and sudens a he Universiy o Caliornia, Berkeley, heUniversiy o Norh Carolina a Chapel Hill, and he Universiy o

Georgia. For abulous and creaive hinking around he book and

geting he word ou, many hanks o Ariel Jacobson, Maria Myote,and Elspeh Gilmore, and OC’s filmmaker and creaive genius


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AC K N OWL EDG MEN T S

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Sekou Luke. Las bu no leas, many hanks o my co-ounders andco-conspiraors Fekkak Mamdouh and Sekou Siby.

Tanks o Oxord edior Chad Zimmerman or his aih andsuppor hroughou he process, o my agen egina Brooks, and

o my amily. Tanks o my parens, sisers, and nephews or heirconsan love and suppor. o Zach, Akeela, and Lina, hank you

or making everyhing possible!


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[ 1 ]

INTRODUCTION

Why We Are Forked

People know me as he co-ounder and co-direcor o he esauran

Opporuniies Ceners (OC) Unied, a naional social-movemen

organizaion dedicaed o raising wages and working condiions in

he naion’s resauran indusry. I have dedicaed my lie o serving

as an organizer, advocae, and spokesperson or raising sandards

or resauran workers.

Wha almos no one knows abou me is ha I don’ come rom a

line o resauran workers; I come rom a amily o resauran owners. And he amily resauran did no pay is workers well.

In he early 1900s, my grea-grea grandaher, a policeman

named Sundara, opened a large resauran in he iny own oKarur, India. Moivaed in par by his disdain or working or oh-

ers (a senimen shared oday by his descendan), Sundara decided

o open his own place, and call i Sundara Villas. Since he propri-

eor was an Indian Brahmin, Sundara Villas was orbidden by case

rom serving mea. Te cuisine was Souh Indian vegearian, served

communal-syle on washed banana leaves o guess seaed a long

marble ables.In hose days, he general ruleand preerence was o ea a

home, specifically a meal cooked by a wie or moher. Men only ae


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in resaurans i hey were raveling, or a bachelor, or i heir wives were sick or raveling. Gender norms orbade women rom eaing

ou or mixing wih men in such public spaces, and hus he resau-ran was almos an enirely male affair, wih he excepion o he

proprieor’s daughers and granddaughers, who would run aroundplaying in he resauran.

Sundara brough his sons o work in he resauran, bu alsohired young men rom Karur and he neighboring villages. Tese

workers were paid meager monhly wages, and many slep in he

resauran isel.My grea-grandaher, Venkaaramanaswamy (ry ha en

imes!), ook over he resauran when Sundara died. He also

brough his sons o work in he resauran. A his poin here were young men who had worked a he resauran or a li eime,

lierally. And alhough wages were meager, here was mos defi-niely a sense o amily. Workers who ell ill were neiher asked

o work nor docked pay. Servers and cooks became lielong am-ily members. Te longes-lasing server, a man named Sundaram,

voluneered o cook a my parens’ wedding and atended everyamily wedding and uncion afer ha; my grea-grandaher

paid or Sundaram’s son’s coming-o-age ceremony. Anoher cook worked boh in he resauran and in he house, washing he chil-

dren’s clohes.Tere is no way I could call my grea-grandaher a “high road”

employer, which is he label we a OC give o employers who provide heir employees wih livable wages and working condiions.

Te sense o amily ha my parens used o describe he resau-ran is he same word almos every resauraeur in America uses o

describe heir employeesgenerally wihou cause and as a jusifi-

caion or paying low wages. We a OC always respond by sayingha being a amily, alhough wonderul, is no enough; a amily ha

keeps some o is relaives in povery is a amily ha can do beter,


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IN T R O DUC T IO N : WH Y WE A R E FO R KE D

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boh or he sake o he workers and ulimaely or he benefi oemployers and consumers.

My resauran-owning grandahers were small business owners who ollowed he norms, cusoms, and culure o heir day; oday,

hese surrounding acors have changed and evolved. One hundred years laer, heir granddaugher is leading a movemen o improve

wages and working condiions or he workers hey employed.I love and respec my grea-grandaher. He was a kind and

exremely generous man who ook care o his large amily, his broh-

ers’ amilies, and even he amilies o his employees. Cerainly,hrough his eyes, I can undersand he pligh o he small resau-raeurs in America sruggling o undersand how hey would go

agains he norm o low pay and poor benefis in his indusry andsill succeed. However, he employers profiled in his book show

ha norms and sandards can evolve in ways ha help workers,employers, and consumers o hrive collecively. imes are chang-

ing, and he indusryand socieycerainly can do beter.

HOW WE ARE FORKED

igh now, more han eleven million Americans work in resau-

rans. Unorunaely, he people who prepare, cook, and serveour ood are also wice as likely as oher Americans o be on ood

samps.1 Te resauran indusryhe indusry ha eeds us!isalso sarving is workorce, boh economically and as a civil soci-

ey ha values is ciizens. However, his book ses ou o describea differen pah, which some employers are already on, o resolve

hese challenges.

Workers, consumers, and even employers have been gouged“orked” by low sandards or employee reamen ha have been

se by he larges companies in his indusry. Bu in anoher sense,

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he indusry is also a a ork in he road: much o he indusry isollowing he “low road” o profiabiliy ha has been modeled by

a majoriy o large corporae resauran chains, whereas a small bugrowing group o employers have shown ha aking he “high road”

o profiabiliy resuls in beter payoffs in he long run. In ac, a 2014sudy conduced by Cornell Universiy researchers in parnership

wih OC shows ha employers can cu cosly employee urnoveralmos in half by providing higher wages and beter working condi-

ions, a remendous gif o an indusry ha suffers rom one o he

highes employee urnover raes o any secor.2 Tis book will profilepeople and companies aking boh pahs, and show how we can ge

where we need o go by aking he “high road” a he ork in he road.

Tis book is a guide or anyone who eas ou and anyone who wans o ea ou beter and more ehically. I is a ool o help us

undersand how resaurans are on issues o worker wages, ben-efis, and promoions. Mos imporanly, his book (along wih

OC’s smar phone applicaionmore on his laer) gives consum-ers he ools hey need o communicae heir values every ime hey

ea ou. Tis book includes boh raings o well-known resaurancompanies and more in-deph profiles o companies ha rae well

and ohers ha do no.Tis book is no inended o condemn any companies, organi-

zaions, or individuals; on he conrary, he book is mean o show boh he challenges a hand and ha change is possible anywhere

and everywhere, and ha change is compleely wihin our power asconsumers o effec wihin our lieimes.

WHY THIS BOOK?

In 2013, I wroe a book called Behind he Kichen Door , abou work-ing condiions in he resauran indusry, hen proceeded o ake my

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seven-monh-old daugher wih me on an insane book our acrosshe counry. We sopped in big and small ciies, and I spoke in

churches, libraries, booksores, resaurans, and anyplace ha wouldhave us. Someimes I’d ake my daugher wih me up o he podium,

and oher imes she’d be crawling around in he back o he audience while I pounded he podium wih my fis and described he povery-

level wages and abysmal working condiions aced by he millionso resauran workers in his counry. I would alk abou he work

o OC, he naional movemen ha I co-ounded and co-direc,

and our work over he las welve years o bring workers, responsibleemployers, and consumers ogeher o change he indusry.

In oo many insances, women would approach me a he end

o he book alk and share horrific sories o sexual harassmen andassaul while working as servers in resaurans. Tese sories dra-

maically changed he course o OC’s work, as I’ll describe laer.Eiher way, everywhere I spoke, anyime I spoke, people would

always ask, “So wha can we do?” “Where can we ea?” And some-one, almos every single ime, would come up wih he idea ha

everyone el hey had discovered or he firs imehe idea o adiners’ guide, somehing angible o ell eaers which resaurans

are well on issues o wages and working condiions or resauran workers. And I would always say, “Yes, we have an app or ha.”

Te firs OC Diners’ Guide o Ehical Eaing was creaed orNew York Ciy in 2007, and i was a simple bookle o highligh resau-

ran owners who were providing livable wages and working condiionso heir employees. We grew ino a naional organizaion ha same

year, and in 2012, published our firs naional version o he guideonline and as a smarphone app. Te guide and app raed he 100 mos

popular resauran chains and also provided awards o approximaely

75 o our responsible resauran employer parners.3 We never creaed he guide o ell people where o ea and where

no o ea. I every ehical eaer in America only requened he 100


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or so resaurans around he counry ha have been given awardsor responsible employmen in our app, we would ea in resaurans

much less. Insead, we sough o provide a ool or consumers ospeak up wherever and whenever hey ae ouo say o managers

and owners, “I loved he ood, loved he service, and I’d love o keepcoming back here. I jus waned o le you know ha how a resau-

ran ares in his app on worker wages, benefis, and promoionspracices are imporan o me as a consumer.”

Tis book represens he nex sep in ha process. Te book

includes he same raings o employers’ wages, benefis, and promo-ions pracices, bu i also includes profiles o resaurans ha raehighly and ohers ha rae poorly in specific ood and labor caegories.

I especially ells he sories o ousanding resauran employers we call hem “high-road” employers because hey ake he high road

o profiabiliy who are growing and profiable because hey pay andrea heir workers well, no in spie o heir above-average wages and

working condiions. In paricular, we ocus on how hese employershave managed o excel in he caegories lised in his book.

We also profile employers who currenly ake he “low road” oprofiabiliy, bu all o hem have grea poenial o move over o he

high road wih some encouragemen and pressure rom all o us. Increaing he Diners’ Guide, we sough o find a way o creae simple,

sraighorward caegories wih which o rae resaurans, and realizedha we needed o prioriize he key issues ha resauran workers have

old us were heir mos imporan challenges during he las decade.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES THIS BOOK RATES?

Tis book is no an exhausive examinaion o all he meris or

demeris o various resauran companies’ employmen pracices.

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Insead, i is a ool or consumers o begin o hink abou wha o lookor in a resauran wih regard o how i reas is workers. Te key

issues ha workers have prioriizedand hus he ones we discussin his bookare he same key policies ha he Cornell researchers

ound are key o reducing employee urnover and hus increasingreenion, produciviy, and cusomer saisacion: wages, benefis,

and inernal mobiliy, regardless o workers’ race or gender.

1. Wages

Wih almos eleven million workers, he resauran indusry is cur-

renly he second-larges and one o he ases-growing employersecors in he Unied Saes.4 Nearly one in welve working

Americans works in he resauran indusry righ now.5 Te resau-ran indusry is one o he only secors o grow amid he economic

crisis o he las decade.6 We have coninued o ea ou as a naion inever-increasing numbers, even when we are unemployed.

Unorunaely, while i is one o he larges and ases-growingsegmens o he Unied Saes economy, i is also he absolue

lowes-paying employer in he Unied Saes. Every year he U.S.Deparmen o Labor releases a lis o all occupaions in he Unied

Saes, including heir hourly wages, and every year he resauran

indusry wins he prize or having he lowes-paying occupaions inhe Unied Saes. Every year a leas six o seven o he en lowes-paying occupaions are resauran occupaions, wih only one or

wo o hose occupaions being as-ood jobs. Currenly, resauran workers occupy seven o he en lowes-paid occupaions repored

by he Bureau o Labor Saisics; a leas our o hese are in ull-service resaurans.7

So how is i ha one o he larges and ases-growing secorso he U.S. economyclearly a successul secoris prolieraing

he naion’s lowes-paying jobs? Our analysis is ha much o his

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persising, exraordinary imbalance can be raced o he power oa rade lobbying group called he Naional esauran Associaion,

which we a OC call he Oher NR. Te Oher NR, led by henaion’s Forune 500 resauran chains, has been named among

Congress’s mos powerul lobbying groups by Forune Magazine.8,9 Te NR has lobbied exensively o keep he minimum wage as

low as possible; no surprisingly, he resauran indusry is he larg-es employer o minimumwage workers in he Unied Saes.10 As

a resul, he median hourly wage or all resauran workers in he

Unied Saes is a palry $9.20.11

Many people assume ha low wages in he resauran indus-ry are concenraed in he as-ood segmen o he indusry.

Unorunaely, his is no he case. Workers in all segmens o heindusry, in all posiions and o all racial and gender backgrounds

work and live in povery in he resauran indusry. Wages orkichen workers are abysmal, and, unbeknowns o many, income

or workers serving cusomers on he dining floor workers whoearn ipsis no beter.

In Chaper 2 o his book, I describe a brie hisory o ippingand he minimum wage or ipped workers over he las 150 years,

and how he curren sysem o allowing he resauran indusry oexemp isel rom paying is own workers because hey earn ips

is a legacy o slavery. Over he las cenury, he resauran indusryhas coninuously lobbied or ipping o be enrenched in American

resauran culure and or resulan exempions rom minimum wage laws or resauran employers.12 Tis hisory climaxed in 1996,

when he CEO o he NR was Herman Cain, a ormer businessanalys or Pillsbury who made his name working or brands such

as Burger King and Godaher’s Pizza. (Cain would laer pursue

he 2012 epublican presidenial nominaion and a 2004 Georgiasenaorial nominaion, losing in he primaries or boh.) In his ime

a he NR Cain sruck a deal wih Congress: he NR would no


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oppose a modes increase in he overall minimum wage as long ashe minimum wage or ipped workers would in urn say rozen for-

ever . Te argumen o he NR was ha since hese workers earnedips, hey should never acually receive a wage increase. Te ederal

minimum wage or ipped workers has hus remained rozen a$2.13 an hour or almos 25 years. Te Oher NR hus succeeded

in convincing Congress and he American people ha i should behe only indusry on earh o win an exraordinary exempion or

isel, saying ha hey should no have o pay heir own workers’

wages bu, insead, cusomers should.13

Similar deals have been sruck counless imes over he lasdecade in a leas ory-our saes across he counry. Seven saes

Caliornia, Oregon, Washingon, Monana, Alaska, Nevada, andMinnesoahave had he same wages or ipped and nonipped

workers or decades.14 Alhough he NR argues ha paying ippedand nonipped workers he same minimum wage would pu hem

ou o business, eliminae server posiions, or reduce cusomeripping, none o hese predicions has been borne ou in he seven

saes wih no mandaed lower wage or ipped workers.15 Teseseven saes acually have aser resauran-indusry job-growh

raes, higher job-growh raes (specifically in server occupaions),and higher resauran sales per capia han he ory-hree saes

wih lower wages or ipped workers.16

ipping averages are hesame in hese saes, and, in ac, Alaska has he highes ipping

average o any sae in he Unied Saesand is a sae wih hesame wage or ipped and nonipped workers.17

So, hen, how and why has he Oher NR goten away wih hisexraordinary exempion? Tey’ve goten away wih i by paining

he picure o a young man who works a a fine dining resauran,

earning $18 an hour in ips and living he high lie. In realiy, wo-hirds o ipped workers in America are women, and hey largely

work a casual resaurans like he Olive Garden, Applebee’s, IHOP,


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and Denny’s. Teir median wage, including ips, is $8.77 per hourin saes wih a ipped minimum wage. Tese women suffer hree

imes he povery rae o he res o he Unied Saes workorce anduse ood samps a double he rae.18

As a resul o he same deal having been sruck beween he

NR and sae legislaors in saes across he counry, wages or

ipped workers in America range beween $2.13 and abou $5 in

ory-one saes naionwide.19 When you are a ipped worker who

receives beween $2.13 and $5 an hour, you don’ acually receivea wage; your wage is so small i goes enirely o axes, and you ge a

paysub wih $0 ha says, “HIS IS NO A PAYCHECK.” As a

resul, he vas majoriy o ipped workers in America live com-

pleely off heir ips, which creaes exraordinary economic insa-

biliy. Tese workers never know how much hey are going o earn

rom week o week, day o day, or monh o monh. A lhough heir bills and ren do no flucuae, heir income does.

During my 2013 book our, women approached me a he end

o book alks and shared sories ha illusraed how our naion’s

sysem o requiring cerain workers o live off ips is no simply a

mater o economic insabiliy; i’s a mater o human indecency.

Women relaed sories o having o objeciy hemselves o earn

enough ips o surviveand since he cusomer was paying heir

wages, raher han heir employer, he cusomer was always righ.Tis mean ha hese women had o olerae whaever a cusomer

migh do o hemhowever hey migh ouch, rea, or alk ohem because, again, he cusomer was always righ.

Tis dynamic was eloquenly summarized by a resauran

server member o OC, Amber, who spoke a a Senae press coner-ence in Washingon, DC, in 2013. She esified, “Senaors, imagine

i your income depended on he happiness o he people you serve.


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Because my income depends on he happiness o he people I serve,I have o pu up wih a guy groping my but every day o eed my

our- year-old son a nigh.”Forcing women o live off ips also means ha hese women

have o objeciy hemselves o ge heir ips. I’ve heard counlesssories o women being old by heir supervisors o “go home and

dress more sexy, show more cleavage!” in order o sell more oodand make more money in ips. Tis pracice exposes women o sex-

ual harassmen no only rom cusomers bu also rom co- workers

and managers. In ac, he resauran indusry is he single largessource o sexual-harassmen complains o he EEOC o any indus-ry in he Unied Saes. Seven percen o American women work in

resaurans, bu 37 percen o all sexual harassmen complains ohe EEOC come rom he resauran indusry.20

One woman, speaking rom he audience a a alk I was giv-ing, relaed a horrific sory o having worked as a server as a young

woman. Her manager had aken her ino a walk-in reezer, held hera kniepoin, and raped her brually. She el she had no choice bu

o comply, and was orced o finish ou her shif aferward.One o he mos personally saddening pars o he sories women

were sharing wih me was ha many had moved on o oher proes-sions, bu heir experiences in he resauran indusry impaced heir

careers. Muliple women repeaed more or less he same sory: I’ma corporae lawyer/execuive/ professional. I’ve been sexually harassed

recenly on he job, bu never did anyhing abou i because i was never asbad as i was when I was a young woman working in resaurans. Tese

sories led us o undersand ha besides he six million women whomus pu up wih his sysem daily as resauran workers, here are

millions more women who work in he resauran indusry as heir

firs job in high school, college, or graduae school. In ac, resau-rans pride hemselves on offering firs jobs or mos young people.

For young women, however, mos o hem working as ipped workers,


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having heir firs jobs in he resauran indusry means ha hey areinroduced ino he world o work in a siuaion in which hey

are encouraged o sell hemselves and heir bodies o earn heirincome. I is he indusry hrough which hey learn wha is olerable

and accepable in he workplacean indusry in which hey musolerae he mos exremely inappropriae behavior rom cusomers,

co- workers, and managersin order o be able o eed heir amilies.For all hese reasons, over he las ew years, OC has led a cam-

paign o eliminae he lower wage or ipped workers, called One

Fair Wage. o be clear, our campaign is o eliminae he lower wageor ipped workers, no ipping alogeher; unless and unil employ-ers can provide a proessional, livable income o heir workers, ips

are absoluely necessary on op o a ull base wage o ge workerscloser o a wage ha will allow hem o suppor heir amilies. Some

resaurans have chosen o eliminae ipping alogeher; we applaudhem i hey do so in a ransparen manner and ulimaely pay heir

workers a ull base wage ha is equivalen o wha hey would haveearned hrough ips.

In his book, we give a resauran a poin i i provides nonip-ped workers wih a leas $10 as a saring wage, and anoher poin

i i provides ipped workers wih more han heir sae’s ippedminimum wage. We also especially commend resaurans moving

oward One Fair Wageeliminaing he lower wage or ipped workers alogeher.

2. Paid Sick Days

Niney percen o resauran workers naionwide repor no havingpaid sick days, and wo-hirds repor cooking, preparing, and serv-

ing our ood when hey are sick wih everyhing rom H1N1 oHepaiis A.21 esauran workers no having paid sick days means

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ha hey are orced o come o work while sick or risk losing heir job. Workers repor ha hey are old ha hey will be fired i hey

do no come o work, even i hey are sick. Even among hose work-ers who are no old hey will be fired, wihou receiving pay when

hey are sick, he vas majoriy o workers preer o work when sickraher han cuting ino an already oo-palry income. As men-

ioned earlier, oo many o hese workers live compleely off ips, which can only be obained by physically coming o work.

O course, he issue is also a public healh concern. Sick resau-

ran workers inec co- workers and, o course, cusomers. TeCeners or Disease Conrol (CDC) repors ha 50–90 perceno all norovirus (somach flu) oubreaks can be raced back o sick

resauran workers.22

ecen effors across a broad coaliion o organizaions have

pushed paid sick days legislaion in saes and ciies across he counry, wih remendous success: seveneen ciies, including Washingon,

DC, and he saes o Connecicu, Massachusets, and Caliorniahave passed paid sick-days laws.23 O course, hese vicories have

no been achieved wihou inense opposiion rom he Oher NR, which argues ha resaurans will be orced o close, shed jobs, or

no grow as quickly i hey mus provide paid sick days. In ac, in2013 he Oher NR joined orces wih Darden, he world’s larges

ull-service resauran company and owner o he Olive Garden,Capial Grille Seakhouse, and LongHorn Seakhouse, among oher

brands. Darden helped wrie he preempion legislaion in Florida,and he Oher NR, where Darden plays a leading role, pushed pre-

empion bills around he counry prohibiing any localiies in hosesaes rom passing local paid-sick-days ordinances. Such preemp-

ive legislaion was passed in eigh o he oureen saes in which i

was inroduced, undermining ciizens’ abiliy o pass local paid-sick-days legislaion even i i was democraically approved by a majoriy


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or even a unanimiy o voers in a paricular localiy.24,25 Te currencoun o preempion saes is eleven, wih eigh having been passed

in he las wo years.26

Noneheless, he figh o expand paid-sick-days legislaion

o more ciies and saesand hus proec he public healhconinues. Many resauran employer parners and ohers around

he counry have implemened paid sick days and ound he pol-icy o have enormous benefis in erms o worker produciviy and

reenion. Several are profiled in his book. In his book, we denoe

resaurans ha provide even a single sick day wih a hermome-er icon ( ).

3. Internal Mobility

wo-hirds o resauran workers surveyed naionally repored

never receiving a promoion o a higher-paying posiion, and even

ewer repored ever being offered raining necessary o move uphe ladder o higher-level posiions.27 Alhough here is a myh o

mobiliy in he indusryhe idea ha a dishwasher could one day

open her own resauranhe realiy is ha he vas majoriy o

workers see very litle advancemen in heir careers.

Such lack o advancemen has serious racial implicaions,

because he resauran indusry is highly racially segregaed. Workers o color are segregaed ino lower-level segmensas-

ood and casual resaurans as opposed o fine diningand even

lower-level posiionskichen and busser posiions raher han

server and barending posiionsespecially in fine dining resau-

rans. Tis resuls in workers o color earning $4 less per hour han

whie workers in he U.S. resauran indusry overall.28

OC research shows ha alhough 80 percen o resauran worker occupaions provide povery-level wages, up o 20 percen

o he jobs in he indusry can provide a livable wage.29 Tese are

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largely server and barender posiions in fine dining resaurans. Asmenioned earlier, he majoriy o servers in America do no work in

fine dining resaurans and suffer rom hree imes he povery raeo he res o he U.S. workorce. However, servers and barenders

in fine dining resaurans can earn a livable wage; unorunaely,hese jobs are held in vas majoriy by whie men.30 Workers o color

ace significan barriers in atemping o advance eiher rom lower-level posiions in fine dining resaurans or rom as-ood or casual

resaurans ino fine dining.

Wih so litle mobiliy in he indusry, mos servers in fine din-ing resaurans are hired rom ouside he resauran, and mosare whie. In 2014, OC released a series o mached-pairs audi-

esing sudies, having sen ino fine dining resaurans hundredso pairs o whie and people o color applicans wih idenical

resumes, personaliies, and size and heigh characerisics o see who would be hired as servers. We ound ha whie applicans had

wice he chance o a person o color o geting hired as a fine din-ing server.31

In he alernaive scenario, several responsible resauranemployersincluding several profiled in his bookhave chosen

o inves in heir own workorce by raining and promoing work-ers rom wihin he company o he highes-paying posiions in he

company. Zingerman’s, an Ann Arbor mainsay eaured in he“sandwich” chaper o his book, even goes so ar as o rain and

promoe workers all he way up o he ownership level.

In his book, we provide a noaion ( ) or any resauran hahas provided a raise or a promoion o a higher-paying posiion o

a leas 50 percen o is curren saff wihin he las year. Tis is adecen measure o mobiliy, bu no a complee measure o racial

discriminaion and segregaion, which requires ongoing sudy andinvesigaion. Consumers can be a par o observing, documening,


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and changing paterns o racial segregaion in he resauran indus-ry using OC’s smarphone applicaion, as described in greaer

deail in his book’s conclusion.

LOCAL VERSUS NATIONAL

As menioned earlier, his book raes resaurans in various ood

caegoriescasual and amily-syle resaurans, fine dining resau-

rans, Mexican as-ood resaurans, coffee shops, sandwich resau-rans, burgers, and diners. Each chaper o his book ocuses on adifferen ood caegory, and in each chaper we provide an in-deph

sory o a resauran company ha receives a high raing in he ca-egory, and anoher ha receives a low raing.

I will no be surprising o some ha mos o he resauransreceiving high marks in his book are no naional chains, and ha

all he resaurans receiving low marks are naional chains. (In-N-Ou Burger and Chipole provide he excepion.) Foodies migh

be relieved o no see heir avorie fine dining resauran receive anegaive raing in his book; i migh be easier or some o condemn

chain resaurans.However, povery wages, lack o benefis such as paid sick days,

and a lack o upward mobiliy are cerainly no unique o naionalresauran chains. Unorunaely, hese condiions are vasly per-

vasive hroughou he indusry, regardless o geography, ownershipsrucure, or size. We sill need o alk o and encourage mos o our

avorie local resaurans, because saisics show hey are likely ol-lowing he same low-road sandards se by he chains. Neverheless,

all he resaurans receiving low marks in his book are resauran

chains or wo reasons. Firs, i would have been impossible o raeall resaurans in America, and hus we chose o ocus on he mos

popular resaurans in each caegory, in addiion o hose willing

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o provide he inormaion requesed. Nonchain resaurans will-ing o provide he inormaion ended o be responsible resauran

owner parners o OC. Second, and perhaps more imporan, America’s larges chain resaurans lead he Naional esauran

Associaion and lobby o se minimum wage and paid sick dayssandards in his counry. Tey also se sandards wih regard o

raining and mobiliy. As he resauran companies ha se san-dards or he indusry, hey bear he responsibiliy o addiional

scruiny. Afer all, hey could jus as well se a higher employmen

sandard or he indusrya sandard ha mos oher resauransin America could ollow. I is our hope ha hey soon will.

O course, his dichoomy migh lead some o quesion he com-

parisons. I mos o he higher-raed companies are small and local, andmos o he lower-raed companies are large and naional, couldn’ he

lower employmen sandards be relaed o size and geography? Perhaps,some migh say, i is impossible or larger companies o provide higher

wages and benefis as hey grow. Even i i is no impossible, how cansmaller companies provide lessons on doing hings differenly o larger

companies; in oher words, can he high employmen sandards o hesmaller companies eaured in his book be aken o scale?

I offer a ew key responses o hese quesions. Firs, In-N-OuBurger and Chipole rule ou he noion ha i is impossible o ake

higher employmen sandards o scale. Second, smaller companieshave ewer advanages han larger companies, no greaer. Larger

companies have larger profi margins, more liquid cash, and coun-less economies o scale ha would allow hem o increase sandards

more easily han a smaller company wih smaller profi margins. Ihe small companies eaured in his book were able o implemen

higher wage and benefi sandards and sill survive, even hrive,

hen, so oo, should large naional companies be able o ollow.Bu wha abou he local versus naional quesion? Several

o he high-road employers profiled in his book Vimala o


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Vimala’s Curr yblossom Caé in Norh Carolina, Zingerman’sCommuniy o Businesses, and Andy Shallal, owner o Busboys

and Poes and Eaonvil leargue ha here is an inheren advan-age o remaining a local company. All argue ha local compa-

nies are invesed in and inegral o local communiies and localeconomies in ways ha naional companies are no. Forunaely,

alhough he companies ha lead he Naional esauran Associa ion in seting indusry- wide sandards are all na ional

chains, he majoriy o resauran companies in America are sill

smaller local companies ha have he poenial o be rooed inlocal communiies. Tis would sugges ha our figh mus beo ensure ha wages and working condiions improve across all

differen ypes o resaurans and ha local resaurans coninueo grow and hrive in spie o he growh o naional resauran

chains. I would also sugges ha local resauran owners sharesomehing wih resauran workers naionwide, in all kinds o

resauransnamely, he need o move he resauran chainsha lead he Naional esauran Associaion o se differen

sandards or he indusry, respecing boh workers and heirneighbors in local communiies.

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

Each chaper o his book ocuses on one ype o resauran and provides boh raings or companies in ha resauran ype and profiles

o resauran companies in ha resauran ype. In each chaperand hus or each resauran ypeI provide raings or he op en

or so mos-popular resauran companies, and also or several high-

road employers in ha segmen. In each, I profile one company haared well in our raing sysem, and one ha could grealy improve

is raings.

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In each chaper, I also highligh a key issue or rame ha dis-inguishes resaurans aking he high road rom hose aking he

low road. Te firs hal o he book highlighs each o he issuesmeasured in he guide wages, promoion pracices, and benefis.

I sar in Chaper 2 wih casual and amily resaurans, as he epi-cener o he batle over America’s sordid hisory o ipping and he

lower minimum wage or ipped workers. In Chaper 3, I describefine dining resaurans, where his batle is exacerbaed by severe

race and gender segregaion and discriminaion. In Chaper 4’s

Mexican as-ood resaurans, I describe inernal promoionas a key sraegy o overcome some o hese challenges, and inChaper 5’s burger resauran profiles, I disinguish companies

ha provide paid sick days and livable wages or nonipped work-ers rom hose ha do no.

Te second hal o he book describes broader rames ha dis-inguish he high-road perspecive rom he low-road perspecive.

Chaper 6 describes wo differen sandwich resauran compa-nies ha have wo very differen approaches o growh; Chaper 7

ocuses on coffee shops and he space provided or workers o speakup abou heir condiions and engage in original hinking and

debaehe original crux o coffee-shop culure. Finally, Chaper 8describes American greasy-spoon diners as he epiceners o racial

and culural changesome ha prove ha any resauran com-pany can ransorm isel in ways ha benefi workers, consumers,

and ulimaely he employers hemselves.

HOW THE BOOK’S RATINGSYSTEM WORKS

Working wih sudens rom he Universiy o Norh Carolina,

he Universiy o Caliornia, Berkeley, and he Universiy o



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Georgia,32 OC asked resaurans abou heir pracices wihregard o:

1. Wages or ipped workers and nonipped workers.

2. Paid sick leave policy.

3. Acual provision o raises and promoions, a parial mea-

sure or inernal mobiliy.

We asked or his inormaion rom all o our high-road resauran

parners across he counry, and rom he op en highes-revenue-grossing resaurans in he Unied Saes in each caegory o ood.

Daa or assessing he op en in each resauran caegory was aken

rom he Naion’s esauran News’ op 100 liss.33

Using his op 100 lis a he uni level, sudens and workers acu-

ally visied each resauran company’s individual resauran loca-

ions o inquire abou employmen condiions. Sudens ocused on

individual resauran locaions in he Souh, where legally required

employmen sandards are he lowes, o undersand he lowes

sandards offered in a paricular naional or inernaional resauran

company anywhere in he counry wih regard o wages and paid

sick days.34 Sudens rom he Universiy o Caliornia, Berkeley

hen ollowed up wih phone calls o hese same resaurans abou

he acual provision o raises and promoions.esaurans in his book are evaluaed in our differen areas,

and can receive differen accrediaions based on meeing crieria in

each. Tey receive one poin or every crierion me. I a resauran

receives hree ou o our poins, hey are awarded one sar ( ). I

he resauran receives our ou o our poins, hey are awarded wo

sars ( ).

Differen accrediaions are indicaed wih he ollowingsymbols:


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$10 + Wage or Nonipped Workers: A resauran receives apoin i heir lowes saring wage or a nonipped worker is a leas

$10. Nonipped workers include hoss and hosesses, dishwashers,prep cooks, line cooks, and porers.

( ) Hourly Wage or ipped Workers Exceeds Minimum: A resauran receives a poin i heir lowes saring wage or a ipped

worker is higher han he sae minimum wage or ipped workers.ipped workers include servers, runners, bussers, barenders, bar-

backs, and expediors. Alhough here are seven saes ha do no

have a lower wage or ipped workers, mos oher saes have wagesor ipped workers o beween $2.13 and $5 per hour. We especiallyrecognize resaurans ha are moving oward a higher wage or

ipped workers and ulimaely, as in he seven saes, eliminainghe lower wage or ipped workers alogeher.

( ) Paid Sick Days: A resauran receives a poin i i provides

paid sick days o is par-ime and ull-ime employees hrough a

paid-sick-day policy or by policies allowing or paid ime off o be

used or sick days.

( ) Promoion Pracices: A resauran receives a poin i a leas50 percen o is curren employees have received a raise or a pro-

moion o a higher-paying posiion in he las year.

HOW YOU CAN USE THIS BOOK

1. Download and share the ROC Diners’ Guide app.

Download our smarphone app here (rocunied.org/dinersguide)and share i wih your riends o help hem ea ehically as well. Tis

nify app uses geolocaors o map ou OC Diners Guide awarded

resaurans around he counry. You can also le employers knowha you care abou how hey rea heir workersi’s quick and

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easy on witer and Yelp, and you will help o shif indusry san-dards on hings like he racial makeup o people in he highes paid

posiions.

2. Talk to restaurateurs about your values.

Use his book and he OC Diners’ Guide app o sar a conversaionabou your values when you ea ou, especially wih resaurans ha

rank poorly in he Guide or aren’ included ye. I like o say o ownersa he end o my meal, “I loved he ood. I loved he service. I’d love o

keep coming here, bu I wan you o know ha he crieria in his appare imporan o me. I’s imporan o me o know ha your workers are

paid a living wage, provided paid sick days, and provided los o oppor-uniies o move up he ladder, regardless o heir race or gender.”

3. Eat ethically at a high-road restaurant!

Whenever possible, suppor he award- winning resaurans in his

book. Le hem know you suppor hem or heir grea employmenpracices. And i you know o a resauran no lised in he guide

ha you hink migh be commited o he high road, le hem knowabou OC’s high-road employer associaion RISE (raisewihroc.

org), which offers a place or resauraeurs o suppor one anoheron ha pah.

4. Let your elected officials know that we need to eliminate the

two-tiered system of a separate, lower wage for tipped workers

in favor of One Fair Wage.

You can visi www.rocunied.org o send a leter o your represena-

ives leting hem know we also need paid sick days or all workersin America so we won’ have o worry abou our cooks or servers

working when hey are sick.

5. Hold low-road employers accountable.

You can help by supporing workers pursuing claims agains resau-

ran employers who have been charged wih violaing he law.

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When you know ha workers have complained, as in he case ohe Darden esauran Group, which owns he Olive Garden and

Capial Grille Seakhouse, you can call he company o le hemknow ha you won’ suppor such quesionable pracices.

6. Join ROC!

We have creaed an ehical diners’ associaion called Diners Unied,

mobilizing resauran-goers in suppor o livable wages and work-ing condiions or he naion’s eleven million resauran workers.

Join he growing nework o people who care abou he ood heyea and he people behind i. Visi dinersunied.com, and join us!

NOTES

1. American Communiy Survey, 2013 (ACS, 2013). Calculaions by heesauran Opporuniies Ceners Unied (OC Unied) based on ugglese al., Inegraed Public Use Microdaa Series: Version 5.0 [Machine-readabledaabase]. (Minneapolis: Minnesoa Populaion Cener, 2010).

2. osemary Bat, Jae Eun Lee, IL School, Cornell Universiy, ashlinLakhani, Ohio Sae Universiy, High oad 2.0: A Naional Sudy of Humanesource Pracices, urnover, and Cusomer Service in he esauran Indusry.(New York, NY: OC Unied, 2014).

3. “2013 OC Naional Diners’ Guide o Ehical Eaing,”, htp:// hewelcomeable.ne/dinersguide/ (accessed Februar y 23, 2015).

4. . Henderson, . 2012. “Indusry Employmen and Oupu Projecions o2020,” Monhly Labor eview 135 (2012): 65.

5. ACS, 2013. 6. Bureau o Labor Saisics, U.S. Deparmen o Labor, Curren Employmen

Saisics (CES), 2014 [www.bls.gov/ces/]. Employmen, hours, and earningsrom he CES survey, by indusry.

7. Bureau o Labor Saisics, U.S. Deparmen o Labor,Occupaional EmploymenSaisics (OES), 2014 [www.bls.gov/oes/]. Naional cross-indusry esimaessored by median hourly wage or all sandard occupaional classicaions.

8. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, Te power 25, Forune , 1999. 9. Judy Sarasohn, “Forune Cookie: You Hi he op 10,” Washingon Pos ,

November 25, 1999.

http://-/?-http://thewelcometable.net/dinersguide/http://thewelcometable.net/dinersguide/http://thewelcometable.net/dinersguide/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/25/059r-112599-idx.htmlhttp://thewelcometable.net/dinersguide/http://thewelcometable.net/dinersguide/http://-/?-


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10. “Characerisics o Minimum Wage Workers, 2013,” US Bureau oLabor Saisics, epor 1048, March 2014, htp:// www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pd .

11. BLS, OES, 2014. 12. Kerry Segrave, ipping: An American Social Hisory of Grauiies (Jefferson,

NC: McFarland & Company,1998). 13. Alan Liddle, “Associaions Urge Senae o eain Wage Provisions,”

Naion’s esauran News , Vol. 30 Issue 25, p. 1, June 24, 1996. 14. OCUnied.org , “Sae o ipped Workers,” htp://rocunied.org/sae_

o_ipped_ workers/ (accessed February 26, 2015). 15. OC Unied, ecipe for Success: Abolish he Subminimum Wage o Srenghen

he esauran Indusry (New York, NY: OC Unied, 2014).

16. Ibid. 17. obero A. Ferdman, “Map: Where Americans Are Generous ippers,” Te

Alanic , March 21, 2014, htp:// www.healanic.com/ business/archive/2014/03/map- where-americans-are-generous-ippers/284567/.

18. OCUnied.org , “Sae o ipped Workers,” 19. Wage and Hour Division (WH D), US Deparmen o Labor, “Minimum

Wages or ipped Employees,” USJanuary 1, 2015, htp:// www.dol.gov/ whd/sae/ipped.hm.

20. OC Unied, Forward ogeher, Te Glass Floor: Sexual Harassmen in he

esauran Indusr ., (New York, NY: OC Unied, 2014). 21. OC Unied, Behind he Kichen Door: A Muli-Sie Sudy of he esauran

Indusry , (New York, N Y: OC Unied, 2011). 22. Ceners or Disease Conrol and Prevenion, “Norovirus Is he Leading

Cause o Disease Oubreaks rom Conaminaed Food in he US,” htp:// www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.hml (accessedFebruar y 23, 2015),

23. Naional Parnership or Women and Families, “Sae and Local Acion on Paid Sick Days.” Washingon, DC, May 2015. htp:// www.naionalpar-

nership.org/research-library/ campaigns/psd/sae- and-local-acion- paid-sick-days.pd

24. Mary Botari, “Te ‘Oher NR,’ he Naional esauran Associaion,Pushes Preempion o Paid Sick Days,” Te Cener or Media andDemocracy’s P Wach, July 24, 2013, htp:// www.prwach.org/news/2013/ 07/ 12173/ oher- n ra- naion al- res aur an- assoc ia ion- pushes -preempion-paid-sick-days.

25. Ashley Lopez, “Florida Senae May Consider House’s More esricive Ani-Sick Pay Bill,” Florida Cener or Invesigaive eporing, April 25,

2013. htp://cir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senae-may-consider-houses-more-resricive-ani-sick-pay- bil l/?psyle=wp.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdfhttp://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://fcir.org/2013/04/25/florida-senate-may-consider-houses-more-restrictive-anti-sick-pay-bill/?pfstyle=wp.http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12173/other-nra-national-restaurant-association-pushes-preemption-paid-sick-dayshttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/campaigns/psd/state-and-local-action-paid-sick-days.pdfhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0603-norovirus.htmlhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htmhttp://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/map-where-americans-are-generous-tippers/284567/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://rocunited.org/state_of_tipped_workers/http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdf


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26. hp:// www.naiona lparnership.org/ issues/ work- amily/ preempion-map.hml; htp:// www.nyimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern- yourselves-sae-lawmakers-ell-ciies- bu-no-oo-much.hml.

27. OC Unied, Behind he Kichen Door: A Muli-Sie Sudy of he esauran Indusr y, (New York, NY: OC Unied, 2011).

28. OC Unied, Te Grea Service Divide: Occupaional Segregaion & Inequaliyin he US esauran Indusry , (New York, N Y: OC Unied, 2014).

29. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 31. Ibid. 32. We hank he sudens o Proessor Aaron Schneider rom he Universiy o

Denver, and Proessor Sarah Si les rom Georgeown Universiy or all heir

hard work on his projec. Specifically, Julie Leebove, Hans Schaler, ErinOrsley, Julia Lopez, and Denise ecinos.

33. “op 100: Mehodology,” Naion’s esauran News , htp://nrn.com/corporae/op-100-mehodology (accessed March 28, 2015).

34. For resauran chains wih muliple locaions, we asked abou hese prac-ices rom resaurans wihin he chain primarily in Alabama, exas,Louisiana, Mississippi, Souh Carolina, ennessee, and Georgia. In allhose saes, here is no sae labor law and only ederal labor law applies;hus, wages paid in esablishmens in hose saes would be he lowes wage

paid by he resauran chain anywhere in he counry.

http://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/work-family/preemption-map.htmlhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/work-family/preemption-map.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://nrn.com/corporate/top-100-methodologyhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/us/govern-yourselves-state-lawmakers-tell-cities-but-not-too-much.html.http://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/work-family/preemption-map.htmlhttp://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/work-family/preemption-map.html


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[ 2 ]

CASUAL AND FAMILY-STYLE

RESTAURANTS

Family-syle casual resaurans have become ubiquious in every

secor o America. Tey are he moderaely priced, amily- riendly

ouposs ha populae he middle ground beween as ood and

fine dining, and hey’re where percen o diners ake heir ami-

lies o ea when no cooking a home.Casual and amily-syle resaurans are also he epicener o he

U.S. resauran indusry’s ork in he road. As he larges employers

o ipped workers, hey are he ron lines in he batle over ipping

and he lower minimum wage or ipped workers.Several casual resauran chains in he Unied Saes epiomize

he challenges o he ipping sysem in America. Each o he ull-

service casual resauran chains lised in able 2.1 pays servers aminimum wage as low as $2.13 an hour or ipped workers.

Tere are some casual resaurans ha are bucking he rend

(able 2.2), leading he high road or his secor o American dining.


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Table 2.2 HIGH-ROAD RESTAURANTS

$10+ Wage for

Non-ipped Workers

Hourly Wage for ipped

Workers Exceeds Minimum

1905

Washingon, DC

Te Original Ben’s

Chili Bowl

Washingon, DC

n/a*

Busboys & PoesWashingon, DC

Colors esauran

Deroi, MI

Dimo’s Pizza

Chicago, IL

Flava a WaZobia

Washingon, DC


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$10+ Wage for

Non-ipped Workers

Hourly Wage for ipped

Workers Exceeds Minimum

P

D

Girard

Philadelphia, PA

n/a*

Good esauran

New York, NY

Inspire BBQ

Washingon, DC

n/a*

Juniper

Wellesley, MA

Kainbigan

Oakland, CA

Levy esaurans a

Ford Field

Deroi, MI

n/a*

Lil Dizzy’s Caé

New Orleans, LA

Table 2.2 CONTINUED


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Local

Los Angeles, CA

Marieta

Brooklyn, NY

Peaches Hohouse

Brooklyn, NY

Peaches esauran

and Bar

Brooklyn, NY

So Crepe

Philadelphia, PA

Snow & Co

Kansas Ciy, MO

Te Jus Crus

Cambridge, MA


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$10+ Wage for Non-ipped Workers

Hourly Wage for ippedWorkers Exceeds Minimum

Te Quick Fixx

Philadelphia, PA

Te Park’s Fines

Los Angeles, CA

Te Saly Pig

Boson, MA

Te Smoke Join

Brooklyn, NY

Vimala’s

Curryblossom Caé

Chapel Hill, NC

n/a*

* No ipped employees.

Table 2.2 CONTINUED


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CASUAL AND FAMILY-STYLE RESTAURANTS

33

THE TIPPED MINIMUMWAGE: A LEGACY OF SLAVERY

According o ipping: An American Social Hisory of Grauiies , by Kerry Segrave, ipping began in he grand udor homes o

England, where visiing guess were expeced o leave grau-iies or servans. Te cusom spread hroughou Europe, and

expanded rom he homes o arisocras o resaurans and pubs. Wealhy raveling Americans brough he cusom o he Unied

Saes o show hey knew he rules, bu he cusom was seen asdespicable, undemocraic, and wholly un- American or decades.

An American aniipping movemen led by boh labor and con-sumer advocaes advocaed or an end o ipping; i was seen as

giving cerain employers he unair jusificaion ha hey should be able o pay heir workers litle or nohing because hey were

receiving ips. Te movemen won aniipping legislaion inseveral saes, including souhern saes like Souh Carolina,

Arkansas, ennessee, and Mississippi. Te movemen alsodeclared he pracice undemocraic o consumers, who should be

able o receive qualiy service regardless o how much hey couldafford o ip.1

Neverheless, American hospialiy and railway companies (he

Pullman company in paricular) ough o keep he ipping sys-em as i was. In he lae 1800s, hey argued ha hey should nohave o pay wages o heir employeesmany o whom were ormer

Arican- American slaves hired o serve newly indusrialized whieacory workers in resaurans and raveling Americans on rains

because hese workers were earning ips. In oher words, he impe-us or hese indusries o be able o hire workers and no pay hem a

wage a all, arguing ha heir income could come enirely rom cus-omer ips, arose in par rom naion’s hisory o subjugaion based



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FO R KE D

34

on race. Segrave quoes 1902 journalis John Speed, who saed onhis firs rip o he Norh:

I had never known any bu negro servans. Negroes ake ips,

o course; one expecs ha o hemi is a oken o heir ine-

rioriy. Bu o give money o a whie man was embarrassing o

me. I el defiled by his debasemen and serviliy. I do no now

comprehend how any naive- born American could consen o

ake a ip. ips go wih serviliy, and no man who is a voer in

his counry is in he leas jusified in being in service.”2

Te Pullman car porers organized an independen union, he

Broherhood o Sleeping Car Porers, and won higher wages beore

ips.3 Hospialiy workers, however, coninued o earn litle or no

wages rom heir employers; heir income remained enirely depen-

den on ips.4 o jusiy his pracice, resauran employers used

much he same argumen or more han a cenury: ipped workers

make enormous sums o money in ips, and hus heir employers

should no have o pay hem, pracically a all. Troughou ha

period, he ac ha mos ipped workers lived in exreme povery,

even wih ips, was mosly ignored.5

Meanwhile, back in Europe, he aniipping movemen picked

up and spread quickly. Many Ialian hoeliers charged 10–15 per-cen more in lieu o ipping. “Guess were warned no o ip;

employees caugh receiving grauiies were fired. A firs, he work-

ers were no in avor o he new sysem, bu soon hey avored i

in boh Swizerland and Ialy.”6 Te pracice spread rom Ialy o

Swizerland and France. raveling Americans hreaened o under-

mine he new sysem. “You Americans came along and persised in

giving ips as usual,’ even hough hoel men old he Americansno o give ips.”7 Neverheless, Ialy and Europe coninued o

move in a no-ipping direcion. Ialian dicaor Mussolini banned


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35

ips being acceped rom guess a hoels; he pracice was seen asservile. During his same period and beyond, America moved in

he opposie direcion, enrenching ipping and ips ino cusomand law.

In he Unied Saes, he pracice o ipping has been insiu-ionalized hrough a wage sysem ha no only creaed a jusifica-

ion or he resauran indusry o no have o raise wages or is own workers, bu has also very nearly led o he indusry arguing ha

hey should no have o pay heir workers a all. When Congress

passed he firs minimum wage law in 1938 as par o he NewDeal, he law said ha he wage could be obained hrough wagesor ips; in oher words, ipped workers were no guaraneed a base

wage rom heir employers.8 In 1966 worker advocaes were ableo win a guaraneed base wage or ipped employees o be paid by

heir employers, bu hey were guaraneed only 50% o he overallminimum wage.9

Over he nex fify years, Congress ensured ha he minimum wage or ipped workers always rose when he minimum wage rose,

a a percenage o he overall minimum wage, reaching 60% o heoverall minimum wage in 1980.10 Tis changed in 1996, however,

when he Naional esauran Associaion reached he heigh ois power on he issue. Under he leadership o ormer Godaher’s

Pizza head Herman Cain, he Naional esauran Associaionessenially sruck a deal wih Congress, arguing ha hey would no

oppose a very modes minimum wage increase or oher workers aslong ipped workers’ wages remain rozen orevermore, no longer

increasing wih he overall minimum wage.11 Tus, he ederal min-imum wage or ipped workers was rozen a $2.13 an hour, and has

no increased or more han wo decades o he curren day.12 Tus,

he ederal minimum wage or ipped workers has gone rom $0, inhe firs minimum wage law passed in 1938, o $2.13, over a period

o almos 80 years.


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FO R KE D

36

Tis same deal sruck by he Naional esauran Associaionhas been repeaed dozens o imes in he Unied Saes over he las

several decadesdeals in which even workers’ advocaes accededo a compromise wih legislaors and he Naional esauran

Associaion. Te compromise specified ha he minimum wage would increase or all workers as long as ipped workers were lef ou

o he increase. Alhough seven saes mainain he same wage oripped and nonipped workers, 43 saes hereby allow resaurans

o pay heir workers less han he minimum wage, as litle as $2.13,

depending on he sae.13 Te Naional esauran Associaion hashus succeeded in convincing many ha working people shouldhave o pay oher working people’s wages hrough ips.14– 15

Te seven saes ha have required resauran employers o payheir workers he ull minimum wage regardless o wheher hey

earn ips are Caliornia, Oregon, Washingon, Nevada, Monana, Alaska, and Minnesoa. OC’s research shows ha hese seven

saes are beter han he oher ory-hree on almos every measurehe resauran indusry cares abou: overall resauran sales per cap-

ia, job growh in he resauran indusry, job growh among ipped workers, and even raes o ipping higher in hese seven saes.16,17

Tis is imporan, because he Oher NR has spen counlessresources rying o convince workers in mos saes ha, i hey

received he ull minimum wage rom heir own employer, cusom-ers would sop ipping hem. However, daa shows ha cusomers

do no ip any less in saes ha require resaurans o pay he ullminimum wage; in some cases hey acually ip beter. Alaska acu-

ally has he highes ipping raes o any sae in he Unied Saes,and i has required employers o pay he same wage o ipped and

nonipped workers or decades.18 So why couldn’ every sae do

he same? A large par o he NR’s success in convincing legislaors ha

heir members should be exemp is due o heir argumen ha


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37

ipped workers receive a more han sufficien income hrough heirips.19 Te ypical porrai is a whie man working in a fine dining

resauran, earning $16–$22 an hour in ips. In ac, 66 perceno he almos six million ipped workers in America are women;

a large majoriy work a casual resaurans like he Olive Garden, Applebee’s, and IHOP. ipped workers’ median wage including ips

is $9.08 an hour; 20 hese women suffer hree imes he povery raeo he res o he U.S. workorce and use ood samps a double he

rae o he res o he U.S. workorce.21

Tus, he consuming public subsidizes ull-service resauransin wo ways: by paying heir workers’ wages hrough ips, and bypaying or heir employees’ survival hrough public assisance.

OC’s research shows ha hal o all ull-service resauran work-ers use public assisance, or a oal o $9.5 billion annually, and ha

he average Olive Garden, or example, coss he axpayer nearly$200,000 annually in public assisance or workers.22

THE TIPPED MINIMUM WAGE AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Earning he subminimum wage or ipped workers mos ofen

means living compleely off ips. Workers who earn a wage ha is aslitle as $2.13 an hour find ha heir wages go enirely o axes, and

hey are hus compleely dependen on ips or income. Tis depen-dency creaes an unenable economic siuaion: workers’ income

flucuaes by year, season, week, shif, and hour. I also flucuaes wih he varied whims o cusomers.

Mos pernicious o all, a research sudy conduced by OC and

Forward ogeher has shown ha workers’ dependence on ips orincomeespecially or womencan exacerbae he already high

levels o sexual harassmen ha occur in he resauran indusry. 23



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FO R KE D

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Dependen on ips, workers mus olerae whaever a cusomermigh doreamen, ouching, and oher behavioro receive

heir income rom ha cusomer raher han rom heir employer.Eighy percen o he almos seven hundred resauran workers

surveyed repored experiencing sexual harassmen in heir resau-ran workplace, and 50 percen experienced sexual behaviors ha

were scary or unwaned. Wors o all, women in saes ha paidhe ipped- worker minimum (ofen $2.13 an hour) experienced

wice he rae o sexual harassmen rom cusomers as hey did in

saes ha paid he same wage o ipped and nonipped workers.Furhermore, women in he saes ha paid he ipped minimumrepored ha hey were hree imes more likely o be old by heir

employers o objeciy hemselvesdressing “sexier,” showingmore cleavage or wearing igher clohingo increase income

in ips, because workers in saes in which employers pay he ullminimum base wage o everyone. In sum: our research showed ha

when workers were no relian on cusomers or a base wage, hey were less likely o be sexually harassed.24

In Ialy and mos o Europe, resauran workers are consideredproessionals. Tere are schools o service hroughou Europe ha

rain individuals in he ar and skill o hospialiy.25 As proession-als, many resauran workers in Europe see i as an affron o offer

ips; he pracice is demeaning, in he same way ha offering a ip oa docor, proessor, or oher valued proessional would be demean-

ing in he Unied Saes. Tese proessionals demand a livableincome rom heir employer, raher han have o pander o cusom-

ers, regardless o heir behavior.Te de- valuing and de-humanizing o ipped workers in

America does no only impac six million workers who currenly

work or ips. As he firs job or mos young women in America,he resauran indusry rains young women in wha is accepable

and olerable in he workplace. Mos ipped workers are no youh;


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hey are working aduls, many wih children. Bu or he many mil-lions who sar in his indusry as young people, he experience has

lasing impac. As a resul, women who move on rom his indusryino oher proessions repored ha hey never did anyhing abou

being sexually harassed on he job, because i was never as bad as ihad been when hey were young and working in resaurans.

For all o hese reasons, OC has led a recen campaign calledOne Fair Wage o eliminae he lower wage or ipped workers.

Trough our campaign, numerous saes have inroduced legis-

laion o eliminae he lower wage or ipped workers. In par asa resul o his campaign, here are many resaurans moving in adifferen direcionmoving o eliminae he lower wage or ipped

workers alogeher, and pay heir own workers a ull base wage.One such resauran is Umi Sushi. General Manager aki

anaka came o he Unied Saes rom Japan a he age o 14, whenhis aher’s company ranserred him o Chicago. He atended high

school and college in he Midwes. “I was ineresing; here wasno Japanese ood anywhere, and ha hur.” A spors an, anaka

ended up geting a job wih urner Broadcasing Sysems in Alanaas a researcher helping o produce coverage o he 1988 Winer

Olympic Games in Japan. Spors elevision producion ook himo Connecicu. When he shows he was working on wen bus,

anaka urned o resaurans. As a server in a Japanese resauran, anaka earned no wage

a all and lived off ips. “I was ineresing or me, coming rom acorporae siuaion. I was compleely differen. Te payscale was

shocking. Basically I hough, ‘his is jus he way his indusry is.’ ”Te owners o he resauran were immigrans who did no know

how o use he compuer sysems or mainain proper records;

anaka offered o help hem as a manager. He had jus begun o seup proper record-keeping sysems or he resauran when a couple

who were regulars in he resauran asked i he would help hem


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open heir new sushi resaurans. Since hey were offering o spon-sor him or a green card, anaka could no reuse.

Afer one ailed resauran, anaka and his new parners oundsuccess in Umi Sushi, a sushi resauran hey se up near Harord.

anaka worked closely wih he owners’ son o se up all he newrules o he resauran. “He and I always quesioned sandard indus-

ry pracices.” anaka sared he resauran paying servers $5.15,he minimum wage or ipped workers in Connecicu, bu quickly

realized ha he did no like he sysem, and decided a ew years ago

o insead pay servers he ull Connecicu minimum wage o $9.15.“I was really looking a i rom a manager’s perspecive. I hough,

‘I wan my servers o execue a cerain plan ha I make.’ Wih ip-

ping, he servers are no really working or me; hey’re working oran individual cusomer who will be paying no or service. Tey’re

paying or a cue girl or guy. Te server may somehow presen heable wih a reebie, which is a cos o resauran, o ge a higher ip.

Barenders do ha all he ime. We all ry o monior ha as resau-raeurs. I’s a wase o ime. I’d raher have a good sysem in place,

wih everybody working as a eam, everyone rusing each oher, working as a uni, raher han one individual doing whaever he or

she wans o do. o do ha, I need o be able o reward good work,I need o be able o define wha good work is. No he cusomers.

Cusomers can say hings o me, sugges hings, bu I need o beable o reward good work, no he cusomer. Coming rom a cor-

porae siuaion, his par o he resauran indusry doesn’ makesense.”

THE LOW ROAD: OLIVE GARDEN

Wih heir claim, “W hen you’re here, you’re amily,” Olive

Garden has become synonymous wih America’s prolieraion o


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amily-syle resaurans. Olive Garden is he larges reail brand oDarden esaurans, he world’s larges ull-service resauran con-

glomerae, and he world’s larges employer o ipped employees.Beyond size, however, Olive Garden has made a name or isel by

using he casual or amily-syle resauran concep o bring uscan-syle Ialian cuisine o he mainsream. However, here is a leas

one way in which he Olive Garden and many chain Ialian resau-rans serving Ialian ood in America are aniheical o resauran

culure in Ialyhrough he pracice o ipping.26

Unlike he oher large chain resauran corporaions profiledin his book, here is no homeown origin sory, no homeownounder who sared poor and made i big, or Olive Garden. Te

company began in 1982 as a brand-expansion experimen by heood manuacuring and ood-service conglomerae General Mills,

Inc., and quickly grew ino he larges chain o Ialian-hemed ull-service resaurans in he Unied Saes. In 1995 General Mills

spun off is resauran holdings ino a separae corporaion, Dardenesaurans.27 Darden’s growh was based, a leas in par, on “using

assembly-line mehods like hose employed a he company’s as-ood counerpar, McDonald’s.”28

Darden esaurans is oday he larges ull-service direclyowned resauran company in he world. Te company originally

consised o ed Lobser, hen Olive Garden, hen laer grew oinclude Capial Grill Seakhouse, LongHorn Seakhouse, and oher

popular American brands. (In 2014, in response o a hedge-undakeover effor, he company sold off ed Lobser.) Olive Garden

accouns or $3.6 billion in annual sales and brings in approxi-maely 58 percen o Darden esaurans’ oal revenue since he

ed Lobser sale. Olive Garden is also Darden’s larges chain in

erms o employees and locaions: o he company’s 150,000 work-ers, 96,000 (64 percen) work a one o Olive Garden’s 831 loca-

ions in he Unied Saes.29 Olive Garden is also Darden’s mos


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value-oriened chain, wih an average check o $16.75 per person(versus $72 per person a Capial Grille).30

Troubled Times

Olive Garden’s sales have begun o decline. Te resauran chain’s

sales o $3.64 billion in fiscal year 2014 were 1.1 percen below

hose o fiscal year 2013. Te decrease in sa

Documents

Forked - A New Standard for American Dining - 1st Edition (2016)