On the season finale of ShiftWork, host Kiki Louya and her guests explore the future of the hospitality industry. From grassroots, community led support, to the ever-evolving shape restaurant leadership, we’re looking forward. Kiki is joined by Ben Hall, a true renaissance man. Born and raised in Detroit, he owned Russell Street Deli and has been a longtime advocate for worker rights, fair wages, and systems change. His work combines his passion for the industry with his love of music, community, and educating the next generation.

Get to know the organizations and resources mentioned in this episode:

MIT’s Living Wage Calculator

Southern Smoke

To learn more about RWCF’s work and donate to the cause, visit www.restaurantworkerscf.org.

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What will it take to pay restaurant workers a living wage? Tipping or no tipping? Legislative or management changes? Questions abound about how to get the industry where it needs to go to ensure a sustainable career for hospitality workers. On this episode, Kiki speaks with Saru Jayaraman, one of the industry’s leading worker advocates as President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. Saru takes listeners through the historic background and current battle for restaurant wages.

Get to know the organizations and resources mentioned in this episode:

One Fair Wage

Food Labor Research Center

High Road Restaurants

To learn more about RWCF’s work and donate to the cause, visit www.restaurantworkerscf.org.

ShiftWork is powered by Simplecast.

Parents, and mothers specifically, face a particularly steep set of challenges working in the hospitality industry. Long, irregular hours and lack of paid time off are only the start of what can make raising children while working in a restaurant untenable. This week on ShiftWork, host Kiki Louya explores resources for families in the industry in a conversation with Sheila Bennett, the Executive Director of CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees). CORE provides financial relief to restaurant workers with children when they experience crises like illness and injury. Kiki and Sheila discuss embracing opportunity in the industry while juggling family, childcare needs, and other obstacles.

Get to know the organizations and resources mentioned in this episode:

CORE
Abundance Setting

ROC United

Head Start

To learn more about RWCF’s work and donate to the cause, visit www.restaurantworkerscf.org.

ShiftWork is powered by Simplecast.