The restaurant industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the United States economy; It's also the absolute lowest paying employer in the U.S.
Between line chefs that come to work sick because they aren't allowed any sick day and servers who deal with sexual harassment on a regular basis because they're desperate for tip money as their sole income, there are uncomfortable truths about professional eating establishments that we're barely beginning to acknowledge.
In her new book, Saru Jayaraman, co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, tells the story of a new class of chefs. This new guard is looking to foster sustainable wages and working conditions in a business that's avoided proper practice for far too long.
Guests:
Saru Jayaraman, author of “Forked: A New Standard For American Dining” (Oxford University Press, 2016). She is co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Center United, an organization dedicated to improve wages and work conditions for restaurant workers
Bill Chait, restaurateur and founder of Bestia, République and a number of other restaurants in L.A.