In case you haven’t seen this on the web or your local news,Darden Restaurants the mega food corporation with 2,000 restaurants nationwide including Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52 and annual sales of $7.5 billion is under fire and being sued because of alleged racial discrimination in hiring, wages and promotion.
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United filed a lawsuit January 31 against Darden’s Capital Grille in federal court in Chicago on behalf of workers in Chicago, New York and Washington, saying the company discriminates against workers. The biggest beef, excuse the pun, is about the Capital Grille Steakhouse. According to the complaint, jobs such as dish washer and food preparer are given to people of color, while positions such as servers and bartenders, where customer tips are common, went to white applicants. Capital Grille is billed as their upscale establishment where tips make a big difference in earning capacity.
Darden Inc. has long pointed to its CEO, Clarence Otis, with pride as a minority who started at the bottom and worked his way up. I guess he should have been at the top. Otis graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in economics and political science. From there he went on to Stanford Law. Otis might have been busing dishes in high school or something but I don’t consider a resume including his education as an exhibit of a man who worked his way out of the kitchen. Matter of fact Otis was recruited by Darden Restaurants in Orlando for the post of treasurer, overseeing finance activities for the 1,200-restaurant chain in 1995. That position is not exactly dishwashing.
Fortune 500 called Darden "a diversity champion,"noting that 30 % of restaurants' managers are minorities and 41% are women. So what’s the real deal? I’m waiting to find out.
Not that I am a fan of Red Lobster and I don’t even consider Olive Garden Italian fare (more like fair American pseudo Italian) so boycotting the chain won’t be an issue. I do hope though, that this company with an accomplished black man at the helm, will either be proven not-guilty or will make it right for all its employees.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Economics, Minority Business
I'm not a fan of darden group at all, but I know people who are. They complain about the lack of their restaurants in predominately black areas. When they go to the location by ford city or oaklawn the majority of the patrons are black. In 2012 restaurants are still ignoring the massive consumer spending power on the south side. Oh well their loss, less competition for everyone else.
Hey Carmel, I'm with you. I don't care if the CEO is black. I'm all for the boycott. As I said earlier, the foods not that great. If you want an inexpensive but tasty meal on the quick, try H-Dogs at 47th and King Drive. In fact, this place beats the hell out of Micky D's any day of the week. I ran into a group of about eight white visitors from upstate Michigan taking the number 3 bus from McCormick place to get a gourmet hot dog at H-Dog. It's worth the trip. While you're there try the truffle dusted french fries or the sweet potato fries.
The ugly truth is in the hospitality industry looks are very impoprtant. This is why despite advancements in technology many places still require you to apply in person. You must apply in your hottest yet still modest buisness causal outfit to be considered for front of house positions. They will usually hire younger more attactive cheerful women or young studs for the front of house position such as waitress/waiter or host/hostess.
This used to be the case in the "stewardess" jobs. What changed it? People started suing for just the ugly truth you mention. All kinds of people eat, fat people, skinny people, dark people, etc. The industry needs to wake up. If suing them helps to open their eyes, I say go for it.
Also I can't remember where I read this but Capital Grille supposedly fired workers of color to replace them with whites in the same positions. If Darden considers the color of one's skin as a strike against a water or waitress they need to get hit in the pocket. Haven't they heard that black is beautiful for that matter so is brown, yellow, tan and even white.
FYI your facts are wrong. You really should do a little research before slandering others. Applicants must use an online application system and can't eve be interviewed until their application is electronically and anonymously screened. Also the local garden ha a very diverse team out front. One stroke of the brush does not a portrait make.