“When I was working my way through the industry in my 20s and 30s, I was very rarely offered healthcare,” says Andrew Watts, proprietor of Cordelia and Rosy in Cleveland. “If healthcare was offered at all, it was only for management, carriers changed every year, it was hard to navigate, and it seemed very much an afterthought of something they had to do, not wanted to do. I had to beg for it far too often.”
Watts is not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 36 percent of service workers in the U.S. have access to employer-sponsored healthcare. Now, at his restaurant, Watts has prioritized “providing inclusive, all-encompassing care,” including by offering physical and mental health insurance to staff, hosting annual healthcare education sessions and partnering with local businesses on everything from spa visits to tattoo days (more on that in a bit!).
In an industry where even basic benefits are hard to come by, there are a handful of bars, restaurants, and cafes that have taken a thoughtful approach to taking care of their staff, in turn attracting and retaining workers along the way. “You can’t pour out of an empty cup,” says Watts. “How can [hospitality workers] take care of others if they aren’t taken care of? This seems like such basic hospitality to me, yet few adhere to it.”
This week, we’re bringing you some of those out-of-the-box ideas, from innovative pay structures to staff travel opportunities to local discounts. If you’re an operator looking for more ways to support your staff—or a staffer looking to advocate for your team—read on for those ideas, plus an update from last week’s newsletter and a handful of the hottest hospitality jobs right now.
Royalties, but for cocktails. Bar Bambi in Chicago has a unique approach to recipe crediting—something we’ve covered in this newsletter in the past. Bartenders who create cocktails that make it onto the Bar Bambi menu get a quarterly bonus based on sales of those drinks. “Basically, royalties for your creative work,” explains owner Katie Renshaw.
Benefits that also benefit local businesses. Every month, the team behind Cesarina and Elvira in San Diego picks a nearby independent restaurant and opens a tab for staff to enjoy a meal. Also, once a week, employees can attend a complimentary yoga class across the street from Cesarina as a convenient way to recharge.
An exchange program. The restaurant Smoke Door has two locations: one in Lake Tahoe, California, and another in Yokohama, Japan. Owners Ryu Amemiya and Tyler Burges regularly send U.S. kitchen staff to stage at the Japanese location so they can learn more about Japanese flavors, techniques, and ingredients.
Covering the bases. Mark Okuda, chef-owner of LA’s The Brothers Sushi, gets his team tickets to watch the Dodgers on Japanese Heritage Night. Because the stadium allows fans to bring their own food, the staff brings homemade meals and hangs out for the night.
An underrated healthcare benefit. The New York nightclub Mansions offers its staff custom ear plugs.
An opportunity to level-up. Ayu Bakehouse in New Orleans created “Ayu Schoolhouse,” a paid educational program for employees that offers business (for example, a “How to Open a Food Pop-Up” series) and culinary (“The Science of Bread”) classes.
The dining room at Rosy.
A team break. Twice a year, Birdie’s in Austin closes for a two-week period. Staff can take the time to rest and recharge, and they’re paid for the full four weeks.
The team that forages together, stays together. At Bosq in Aspen, chef Barclay Dodge leads the team on an annual research trip to different food destinations to explore local markets and forage. The trips are a chance for team-building, but they have also provided inspiration for R&D on Bosq’s menu.
An on-theme perk. The Museum Bar + Gift Shop, a recently opened NYC bar modeled after a natural history museum, plans to bring its staff on educational field trips (fittingly, to local museums).
Is there an award for best benefits? When Vinnie Cimino, chef at Cordelia, was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2024, Watts purchased tickets (which are hundreds of dollars) for any manager or sous chef who wanted to come celebrate. “We set up hosted events by doing collabs at a couple spots that made great spaces for our team to gather and celebrate with us,” says Watts. This year, 30 members of the team attended the ceremony, while more than 30 supported outside the theater in Chicago.
Cordelia and Rosy have also secured discounted spa services for staff by trading discounted meals with a local wellness studio and hosted free tattoo days at a local studio. “I’ll always ask friends and fellow businesses to see how we can help each other,” says Watts. “We host collaborative events on the regular, as it’s central to our mission to give others a platform and attention.”
