Prominent figures in the restaurant industry came together this past Tuesday, 26 January, at the Ford Foundation in New York City to open discussions on what we can do to improve worker conditions in the restaurant industry. But not all was grim at the event; the Ford Foundation and Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) United also came together to celebrate the publication of Forked: A New Standard for American Dining, written by Saru Jayaraman, as well as notable industry leaders who took the “High Road” in providing employees fair wages, good working conditions, and opportunities for promotion.
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Darren Walker, of the Ford Foundation, welcomes everyone to the event. He explains that Saru Jayaraman’s work is “leading a movement to let America be America.”
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Danny Meyer, owner of the Union Square Hospitality Group, shares his experiences in the restaurant industry.
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Saru jokes that everyone is afraid to take her out to dinner because of her crusading for fair wages in the restaurant industry.
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Saru asks members of the audience to raise their hands if they’ve ever worked in the restaurant industry.
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Saru explains the severity of the tipping system–it has roots in American slavery. Business owners in the railroad and restaurant industries hired newly freed slaves, using the tipping system to avoid paying for their labor.
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Titans of the industry Tom Colicchio, Roseanne Martino, Danny Meyer, Andy Shallal, and Alice Waters discuss why they believe change is so necessary.
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Headline Image Credit: Photo by ShortSword. Public Domain via Pixabay.
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