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Doing Business Responsibly: ROC United and Restaurant Workers

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Stories of Progressive Institutional Change

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Abstract

Colors Restaurant & Bar in New York City has made a name for itself by serving as a role model for the equitable treatment of workers in the traditionally low-paid restaurant industry. As described in this chapter, this cooperative enterprise also illustrates that businesses can operate with multiple motivations beyond profit maximization. Colors Restaurant is an unanticipated byproduct of Restaurant Opportunities Centers-United (ROC-U), a membership organization initially formed by restaurant workers displaced from jobs in the World Trade Center after 9/11. ROC-U operates Colors as part-restaurant, part-training facility, and part-exemplar of “high road” employment practices. ROC-U’s other campaigns (such as “One Fair Wage”) and litigation have secured pledges for better wages and working conditions from some larger restaurant conglomerates in the United States.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stockton University, Galloway, NJ, USA

    Deborah M. Figart

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  1. Deborah M. Figart
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Correspondence to Deborah M. Figart .

Supplementary Applications

Supplementary Applications

  1. 1.

    What national chain restaurants do you like to visit for a meal with friends or family? Do you know how they treat their lowest paid workers? Go to the ROC-United website and download (for Android or iPhone) the Diner’s Guide to Ethical Eating. This free app provides employment information on the most popular restaurants in America in major cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington, DC to New York City. Select all the “high-road” options for wages and working conditions and select a city near you to see a list of restaurants. Click on specifics. Try eating at a high road and a low road restaurant, if possible. Notice any differences? If a restaurant you are visiting is not listed in the app, you can add it to the database if you have the employment information.

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Figart, D.M. (2017). Doing Business Responsibly: ROC United and Restaurant Workers. In: Stories of Progressive Institutional Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59779-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59779-9_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-59778-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-59779-9

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