The Sustainable Restaurant Association via their Food Made Good programme supports the catering industry by not only raising awareness of issues that we can’t turn a blind eye to anymore, but also helping food businesses implement measures that make a difference. They devote each month of the year to campaigning for those issues ranging from ethical sourcing of ingredients, to fighting food waste, operating sustainably and many more.
Last month their campaign advocated that to do good business is to treat your staff fairly. Their blog includes heartwarming case studies of companies that have gone against the grain, prioritised their people over what makes financial sense and have benefitted as a result.
Proper Oils and Rare Food Catering took that risk and demonstrate how paying their team members well has attracted and retained better quality talent. Dispensing with the controversial service charge altogether, The Gallivant now share their profits with their people and give them a fair deal to begin with. Other companies like Edinburgh’s Café St. Honoré and the Oakman Inns invest heavily in training staff and also making them feel valued.
So what arises out of not treating your staff well? It may not visible, but every meal you serve carries the energy of all who come into contact with it. What ends on your customer’s plate begins with the grower or producer, passes through the hands of a supplier, gets alchemized by a chef in your kitchen and then handed to a waiter. Anywhere along that chain that we sour our relationships with those who support our craft compromises it. And none of us want that result, do we?