Leading with a Living Breathing "Culture Guide"

Written by Julie Kauffman-Strong

Chef Brian Oliveira is a longtime advocate for fair & living wages in the Food Industry. His previous restaurant, Girard, gained national attention for being among the first “living wage” restaurant in Philadelphia.? They adjusted their prices to pay their staff a minimum of $15 per hour, thereby challenging the tip-based culture that is the norm in most restaurants. Brian was very vocal in his efforts to educate the public about why a living wage is important and how a pay structure that is not dependent on tips creates better living and working conditions for those in our industry.?

Today, in the fourth installment of our New Kitchen Culture story series, Chef Brian Oliveira shares his current thoughts about educating customers, unlearning biases and how he is creating a New Kitchen Culture within his establishments: Happy Hour Hospitality (@happyhourhospitality), Cozinha (@cozinha_philly), and Parkside Provisions (coming soon!). Brian You can learn more about Brian and his work by checking out the social media for his establishments and at https://happyhourhospitality.com.

“We have built a ‘culture guide’ that we use as a tool throughout on boarding, daily operations, and outside of the workplace. It is a living, breathing document that we often refer to and adapt as needed. We have a deep rooted culture in RESPECT and the best way to keep that alive is to set the example, follow through, listen, and do our best to understand any given situation. We are tuned in to our team and their needs as humans with lives outside of work. Any issues that arise are addressed immediately so we can nip it in the bud before the issue becomes pervasive. Though nothing is foolproof, we believe that when you have a culture built on genuine respect it eliminates a lot of toxicity you often see in our industry.

We've always believed that higher wages and a safe, fun, workplace will tamp down turnover, while increasing happiness and motivation. We've been starting at $20/hour since we opened in 2018 and we work to create additional money-making opportunities through cross training and gratuities. We always pay enough so gratuities are not relied on to make ends meet. Aside from the financial aspect, simple things like meal breaks and reasonable shift lengths decrease burn out and build a more sustainable team.

Haggling is definitely more common in catering, so we spend a good amount of time educating folks on the true cost of what it takes to make an event come to life. From planning and organizing, to prep and execution, it can be quite costly. Our team works their asses off no matter the event and we believe they should be fairly compensated!?

I am constantly un-learning past biases and ideas that were picked up along the way. As a leader, it is important to focus on building a diverse team, and uplifting each team member so their voice is heard. We are constantly learning from each other and sometimes that includes an apology or uncomfortable situation. When respect is always at the core of what we do, it opens up a dynamic that allows us to learn and grow together. Like I said before, any concerns brought to us are always a priority that we address immediately.”

Do you have a story to share? Are you working to change the Food Industry by creating healthy, safe, inclusive workplaces? If you are motivated to create a New Kitchen Culture in your establishment, we want to connect. Head to our new website www.cookswhocare.org to learn more.

3 Ways to Connect With Cooks Who Care :

1- Want to share your story of changing kitchen culture in your establishment? Take this short survey (10-15 min. max) and tell us what you do differently than the rest or what you’re working on: https://bit.ly/Submit_Your_NewKitchenCulture ?

2- Learn more about our New Kitchen Culture Campaign: https://bit.ly/CWC_NewKitchenCulture_PDF

3- Stay in the loop with Cooks Who Care by subscribing to our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/CooksWhoCare_Newsletter