SPRING 2020 29
Fancy Food Show Booth #4221
MADE WITH FRESH VEGETABLES
AND HI-OLIEC SUNFLOWER OIL !
ALL THE FLAVOR WITHOUT THE MEAT !
Outside of that, we know that a
broader conversation exists around
mental health in kitchens, and we hope
that #GrilPower becomes part of that
conversation, so that creating more
equality in back-of-house can lead to
a different culture that could improve
mental health. The reception generally
has been positive. We are hoping to
reach some of those kitchen managers
that may be running their back-of-house
in an older style and start thinking
about what their culture is and if there
are any opportunities for improvement
in this direction.
Why do you think the restaurant
industry, in particular, has had a
difficult time with these issues?
Change is hard for everybody, and things that have
been long established just tend to persist. From what
we were hearing from our employees, it wasn't an
overt lack of opportunity. It was small things—like,
What are your objectives
with the initiative?
We call it 50/50 by 2020. We are asking
restaurants to bring women into their back-
of-house, so that 50 percent of their positions
for skilled back-of-house and restaurant
management are filled by women by the end of
2020. We also understand that organizations,
cultures, and industries can be slow to change,
and so at a minimum, we're asking restaurants
to start talking with their workforce and
looking at the kinds of opportunities and the
culture that they have in back-of-house. We
want to start the conversation and empower
females on every staff to start asking their
managers for opportunities, because they exist.
What has been the reception so far?
The first restaurants that we had sign on to our
50/50 by 2020 had already met those initiatives.
They already knew that the women on their
staff were talented and wanted to create equal
opportunities.
PHOTO: RACHEL VALLEY
