All Articles Tagged "restaurant industry"
Isn’t Variety The Spice Of Life? New Report Shows Lack Of Diversity In The Restaurant Business
Many are asking where are the black chefs and the women chefs after viewing the 2013 list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. And the lack of diversity is not just in the kitchen but across every aspect of the restaurant industry, according to news site RH Reality Check (via The Huffington Post).
“We tend not to realize that diversity is not the same as equity — that simply seeing a lot of restaurant workers from different backgrounds doesn’t mean that restaurant workers have equal opportunities to advance to jobs that will allow them support themselves and their families,” says Saru Jayaraman, director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) in her book Behind the Kitchen Door, published earlier this year.
And minorities who are in the business receive lower pay than their white counterparts. “There’s a wage gap of four dollars between white workers and workers of color in the restaurant industry,” Jayaraman explained in an interview with ROC. “We’ve done studies to show that the best-paying jobs in the industry — and there are some good-paying jobs — are held almost exclusively by white workers.”
Women too are overlooked—and are paid less. A 2010 report called “Waiting on Equality: The Role and Impact of Gender in the New York City Restaurant Industry” conducted by the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United revealed that women of color are largely segregated by segment in the restaurant industry with 38.5 percent of black women, 33.3 percent of Asian women, and 44.1 percent of Latina women surveyed working in the low-paying quick service sector. Men held 67 percent of Tier I front-of-the-house positions; women held only 32 percent, according to the report. Women of color earn just 70 cents for every dollar paid to men and just 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
“Women of color are hard hit by a kind of perfect –- and perfectly devastating –- storm caused by discrimination, a struggling economy and the country’s failure to adopt family friendly workplace policies,” said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, in a release. The Partnership is working to close the wage gap.
NJ Restauranteurs Try the Southern Strategy
(The Network Journal) — Restaurateurs Joshua Suggs and Coretta King have always kept a watchful eye on the operating budget and overall finances of their chic bar and restaurant—Deltas’ in New Brunswick, NJ. Since opening the business more than 10 years ago, Suggs and King have developed a savvy marketing strategy of bringing a Southern style cuisine to the upscale and professional crowd of the central New Jersey college town. With an established track record and a litany of anxious investors, the talented twosome will open a second eatery in Charlotte, N.C. later this year.
Suggs and King opened Delta’s in December 1999 while they were engaged. Despite a sour economy and the breakdown of their marriage and eventual divorce, they continued to maintain a booming business relationship—-revenues for Deltas’ topped $2.2 million in 2010—roughly the same as 2009 figures. Prior to the couple taking it over, Deltas’ was a small local restaurant that was struggling financially. The owner eventually put the place up for sale and Suggs and King bought it for the asking price of $900,000K. With the help of personal savings and contributions from family and friends, they put a 20 percent down payment – about $180,000 – on the place. They obtained a loan for the remaining balance from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Why Prix-Fixe Menus Work for Restaurants
(Inc.) — It may have been frigid outside, but three girlfriends and I weren’t feeling the cold as we enjoyed a scrumptious feast at the Michelin-starred restaurant The Modern one recent night in New York City. Spicy steak tartare, grilled monkfish, crispy duck confit and homemade Alsatian sausage were among the delicious, generously portioned offerings, paired with lovely wines and finished with luscious desserts (why hello there, hazelnut dacquoise!) that we couldn’t resist sharing. The best part? Our meals (sans wine and tip) came to just $35 per person. How is this possible? Ah, that’s the beauty of Restaurant Week, currently taking place in New York City, and generator of “approximately $6 million in revenue for our city’s restaurants” in 2010, according to NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. But while The Modern has one of the best RW deals around—they offer their entire bar room menu, as opposed to a just few select dishes, at a bargain price—it isn’t always the ambrosial experience that my girlfriends and I experienced: A few days later, I had a RW lunch (the prix fixe price is $24.07 during the day) at Quality Meats in Midtown. My overcooked scallops appeared suspiciously quickly after I ordered, followed by a borderline raw steak with simple scoops of ice cream for dessert. Disappointing.
Restaurant Nutrition Draws Focus of First Lady
(New York Times) — After wrapping her arms around the retail giant Wal-Mart and trying to cajole food makers into producing nutrition labels that are easier to understand, Michelle Obama, the first lady and a healthy-eating advocate, has her sights set on a new target: the nation’s restaurants. A team of advisers to Mrs. Obama has been holding private talks over the past year with the National Restaurant Association, a trade group, in a bid to get restaurants to adopt her goals of smaller portions and children’s meals that include healthy offerings like carrots, apple slices and milk instead of French fries and soda, according to White House and industry officials.
Atlanta Diners Slowly Returning
(AJC) — The Great Recession has hurt the restaurant industry on all levels — from hamburger chains to casual dining establishments to upscale, high-priced restaurants. We’ve also seen the “casualization” of fine dining, with many upscale casual restaurants doing away with white tablecloths in order to present a less pricey look, says Kim McLynn of the NPD Group in New York, which studies the industry. But while restaurant traffic and sales are still falling, NPD says, declines are becoming less steep.
Grading New York Restaurants: What’s in an ‘A’?
(New York Times) — Late last summer, the New York City Department of Health began releasing the results of new restaurant inspections, and assigning letter grades based on compliance with the city Health Code and the state Sanitary Code. The letter grades have become ubiquitous in restaurant windows throughout the city. But what do they really mean, and how seriously should we take them in choosing a place to eat?
Restaurants Reach Out to Customers With Social Media
(New York Times) — RESTAURANTS and bars thrive on repeat business, but customers increasingly expect more than just good service, food and drinks. They want to be engaged and entertained, and some food establishments are turning to location-based social media to help keep customers happy and loyal. Buffalo Wild Wings, a national restaurant chain that offers casual dining and televised sports, is embarking on a campaign, called “Home Court Advantage,” to involve customers beyond the smartphone “check-in” they use to note their arrival.
As Food Prices Soar, Eateries Scramble
(Wall Street Journal) — Soaring global food prices, particularly for meat, sugar and coffee, are putting pressure on the restaurant, travel and hotel sectors as they pursue a fragile recovery. In a bid to offset added costs without passing them on to price-sensitive consumers, many companies are scrambling to renegotiate contracts, find cheaper suppliers and reconfigure menus. Increased demand and market speculation, as well as bad weather like the recent flooding in Australia, have driven up prices for items ranging from coffee beans to beef.
Dining Deals Customers Love Make Some Restaurateurs Sick
(Crain’s) — Every weekend, Jenna Corman Mandel tries at least two different restaurants. Her appetite for new discoveries is insatiable, as is her taste for discounts. In fact, the 27-year-old communications executive for a nonprofit has become an avid user of promotional services, which offer as much as 90% off restaurant tabs. “I’m definitely addicted to these deals,” Ms. Mandel says. Meet the new breed of diners. They are hungry for bargains and are unlikely to go where they can’t get them. They are helping feed a cottage industry of companies that offer access to cheap eats. No fewer than 15 websites providing deep discounts have been launched over the past couple of years, including Groupon, VillageVines and BlackboardEats. OpenTable, the 12-year-old online reservation company, began offering deals in August.
