“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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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

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Palestine Week 2024

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Pajama Brunch 2014

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Dine After Dark

We’re proud to be joining Dine After Dark along with other great local businesses to make dining-out more convenient for our Muslim community celebrating Ramadan. 3.5 million Americans and 1.6 billion people worldwide celebrate Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, as a time of reflection and charity. We’re inviting customers to “Dine After … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Review: Love Poems

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In Love Poems, Nikki Giovanni gives an empowered edge to the topics of sexuality, intimacy and what it means to love. Published in 1997, the collection’s poems span thirty years of her career as a writer. We hear Giovanni through many lenses: as a young woman, as an activist striving for change, as a lover, … Continued