“Behind the Kitchen Door”

On Monday, owner Andy Shallal made his way to NYC to sit on a panel discussion hosted by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United) at the Ford Foundation.  Along with food movement leaders, policy experts, journalists, artists, including actor Danny Glover, National Organization for Women (NOW) president Terry O’Neill, and ROC-United co-founder Saru Jayaraman, Andy spoke about the need for the restaurant industry to change the way it treats its workers. 

Busboys and Poets and Eatonville Restaurant are listed as one of ROC-United’s “High Road Restaurants.” Taking “the High Road to Profitability is an ethical, pragmatic, and profitable approach to doing business that benefits employers, employees, consumers and the community.” At Busboys and Poets and Eatonville, employees benefit from overtime pay, health insurance and paid sick leave, unlike the majority of the nation’s restaurants. Andy recommended to ROC-United, policy makers and consumers: “When I got to New York today, I noticed how restaurants post letter grades from the Health Department. What if they also had to post letter grades indicating the quality of the conditions for their workers?”

To learn more and get involved in consumer action and pressuring restaurants to pay sick leave to their employees click here.

Saru Jayaraman will be at Busboys and Poets on Feb. 13th to discuss her book, “Behind the Kitchen Door” at 6:30 PM in the Langston Room to bring attention to this human rights issue.

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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DC VegFest Media Party at Takoma

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 2022 This Privacy Policy explains how Busboys and Poets collects, uses, and discloses personal information about our customers, prospective customers, and visitors to our website at busboysandpoets.com. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION  Information collected directly from you: We may collect personal information directly from you, for example through a web form, during registration, while making a reservation, … Continued

Rising Artist Frank Ocean did something important

Rising Artist Frank Ocean did something important

“We can thank Frank Ocean, not only for making a public statement that sweeps aside shadows and offers young fans another powerfully vulnerable star to admire and emulate, but for reminding us that while proudly declaring an identity can be a politically crucial gesture, often the human heart is not so sure-footed. The process of becoming and unbecoming, loving and losing, is what often makes for the most meaningful art.” – Ann Powers, NPR