New Awards Will Recognize NY Restaurants For What Isn't On The Menu
NEW YORK — Michelin stars and James Beard Awards can launch a restaurant to fame and fortune, but a new sort of award will honor the kitchens and dining rooms for something much more important and enduring than the niceties of haute cuisine.
The "High Road Awards" are a chance to nominate a favorite restaurant for doing the right thing both on the plate and in the break room, but time is running out — the nominations close on Friday.
One Fair Wage, RAISE: High Road Restaurants, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment, Queens College have launched the first-ever New York High Road Restaurant Awards, to recognize the top restaurants that are raising wages and advancing equity and health and safety to recruit and retain staff during the so-called "Great Resignation."
Winners will be announced at an awards breakfast on May 17. New York State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzales-Rojas, the sponsor of legislation to end sub-minimum wages for tipped workers will be present to announce the awards and honor the winners.
Nominations for "High Road" restaurants are now open in the five categories:
Health and Safety Restaurant of the Year — Award given to the restaurant that has demonstrated the greatest commitment to worker health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Racial Equity Independent Restaurant of the Year — Award given to the restaurant that has demonstrated the greatest commitment to racial equity, especially upward mobility for workers of color and women of color in particular.
Gender Equity Independent Restaurant of the Year — Award given to the restaurant that has demonstrated the greatest commitment to gender equity, especially anti-sexual harassment policy and pay equity, particularly for women of color.
Livable Wage Small Business Restaurant of the Year — All nominated businesses under 50 employees that pay One Fair Wage - a full minimum wage to all employees with tips on top - receive recognition; one from each of several regions will be chosen for their commitment to the issue and has gone up and beyond both at the individual and at the restaurant level.
Livable Wage Restaurant Advocate of the Year — Award given to the restaurant that has been most active in advocating for policies that raise wages for workers in the service sector.
"Hundreds of restaurants across New York are responding to the great resignation by raising wages, advancing racial and gender equity, and building an industry where workers, and their employers can thrive,” explained Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage, a national nonprofit that advocates on behalf of restaurant workers earning the tipped subminimum wage. “The New York High Road Restaurant Awards will honor the top employers and restaurants on the frontlines of building a new, better restaurant industry - and we look forward to celebrating them. We call on NY State Governor Hochul and the NY State Legislature to support them by creating a level playing field and passing legislation to end the subminimum wage for tipped restaurant workers statewide."
Nominations will be accepted through May 6, at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced at the awards breakfast on May 17.
Selection of the winners will be made by a committee of representatives from each of the sponsoring organizations. Award winners will receive a plaque and a grant of $1000. Runners-up will receive a plaque and a grant of $500.
New Awards Will Recognize NY Restaurants For What Isn't On The Menu originally appeared on the New Rochelle Patch
