Conflict between Public Response and Internal Realities

In the past decade, shows, books, and movies about the restaurant industry have been saturated throughout the media. We've seen the same stereotypes reproduced dozens of times; a scary, tatted up chef or a sassy waitstaff. And while most of these stereotypes are generalizations, one well documented aspect of the restaurant industry being toxic and unapologetic is proving to be true. I have worked in a few restaurants before and have been lucky enough not to experience anything remotely unsafe, but I can attest to fact that the atmosphere is always a touch sexual and aggressive.

Bad behavior is brushed off as being "restaurant culture" and therefore more accepted. That mirage is coming to an end. The excessive amount of sexual harassment, racist, and homophobic jokes told by coworkers and customers, is a very real thing in the industry. The dissonance in how some restaurants responded to Black Lives Matter compared to how past and present employees have described their experiences makes it wildly clear there is work to be done. And while I'm more specifically addressing the Chicago food scene (since I live here), most of my points are relevant regardless of location.

Just as cities were reopening for the summer, social unrest and BLM protests popped up in response to George Floyd. As cities across all 50 states took to the streets to protest, this posed a question to businesses that had scheduled reopening during the following week. and quickly spread across all 50 states and a few other countries, posing a critical question to restaurants set to reopen. Do we go ahead or shift due to the circumstances? In Chicago, many restaurants postponed opening and some even served free food to CPS students after the schools suspended the meal program. Restaurants and chefs took to social media to post supportive statements about the movement and express sadness over the state of the world. But as more restaurants joined in, past and present employees who had experienced the opposite began to speak out as well. An Instagram account, @the86dlist, collected stories sent in from industry workers that detailed horrible working experiences and how little was done to make anything better.

The top offenders being places such as Nini's Deli, Fat Rice, Hogsalt, and Honey Butter Fried Chicken. Employees shared personal experiences involving racist and sexist rhetoric, being passed up for manger positions, or even fired for speaking out. Other employees joined in the comments confirming posts adding similar stories of their own. And while most restaurants have taken this to be a learning opportunity, Nini's Deli doubled down on the hate and expressed not only that they were anti-BLM but also anti-choice, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBTQ; citing religious beliefs. Most partners severed ties with them and as a result, they have permanently closed.

River North bars like Liquor Box, Bottled Blonde, and more are known to have restrictions on "urban dress," code that specific items of clothing can be deemed inappropriate by the bouncer for whatever arbitrary reason and usually targets BIPOC. Fat Rice and HBFC have both been called out for having different rules for FOH vs. BOH staff, being disrespectful, and a lack of mobility upwards for BIPOC or women. In response, a group of industry workers have banned together to create a campaign to track restaurants statements and actions called CHAAD -- Chicago Hospitality Accountability Actions Database. The database tracks restaurants (along with chefs and owners) who have had complaints made against them, performative action verse real action, and more.

Throughout time, restaurants have provided sanctuary to outcasts, but they've also fostered hostile environments. Along with the rest of the world, the restaurant industry was quick to show (performative) support on social media without first taking a look at their own company culture. Without acknowledging their own shortcomings, none of the words they say or write carry any real weight. Recognizing you are apart of the problem is just the first step, owners and managers need to work with and listen to employees in order to create a better atmosphere. It does seem like a shift towards taking responsibility is happening as opposed to denying or ignoring the problem. At the end of the day, the best we can hope for is that the words start matching the actions and treatment inside.