MINNEAPOLIS — Some of Minneapolis' award-winning chefs are turning up the heat on the city council in opposition of a measure that would create a Labor Standards Board.
"How are you trying to regulate them without talking to them?" Chef David Fhima said.
Fhima spoke alongside a group of restaurant owners as 120 have united against the proposal for the Labor Standards Board. The board is something that could replace a workplace advisory committee and would be in charge of recommending regulation including raising the minimum wage. The idea of this type of oversight board was encouraged by labor unions.
"I think there is some misconception that if you run a restaurant, you are some types of millionaires and you just don't want to share it with people," Chef Gustavo Romero says, "and that's just not the case."
There is a genuine fear that restaurants will pull out of Minneapolis, according to Romero. He and his wife, Kate Romero, started their restaurant business Oro by Nixta during the pandemic. They just recently were a James Beard Award finalist for best new restaurant.
In fact, all of Minneapolis well-known James Beard winners and nominees like Gavin Kaysen, Christina Nguyen, Ann Kim and Sean Sherman are standing together against this city council proposal that they believe would hurt small businesses.
"The concern is that more regulation could be doing some of the same things that a union would otherwise being doing for businesses that aren't already unionized," Axios Twin Cities reporter, Kyle Stokes said.
Stokes says labor standards boards are becoming more common. Stokes points to research from Rutgers University that shows they can make a big difference in low-wage industries that are difficult to unionize, such as: restaurants, residential construction, custodial services, or warehouses.
On Tuesday, it was announced that service workers at Daniel del Prado's Colita and Café Ceres are organizing a union. This follows a similar announcement from workers at Ann Kim's restaurant Kim's in Uptown earlier this month.
"We want to stay here. but we need to have a voice," Kate Romero said.
In a letter to the city council, a group of more than 40 BIPOC restaurant owners pleaded for the city to reconsider the proposal:
"The Labor Standards Board you have proposed does not acknowledge the challenges faced by BIPOC-owned businesses. This action seems to aim to protect the BIPOC community, but this has been done without us and therefore is not for us. We are trying so hard to make it in Minneapolis and more changes and more regulations will not make it easier. When people who do not understand our business or the unique experiences and models we create add more regulations, it makes it difficult to survive."
LIST OF BIPOC RESTAURANT OWNERS OPPOSING THE PROPOSAL:
Adam Witherspoon, The Greasy Spoon Syndicate
Aditya Bhavani, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
Amol Dixit, Hot Indian Foods & Bussin Birria Tacos
Ann Ahmed, Kamma Hospitality - Lemon Grass, Lat14, Khâluna
Ann Kim, Vestalia Hospitality - Kim’s, Young Joni, Back Bar, Hello Pizza, & Pizzeria Lola
Chiafukam Okoroji, Bussin Birria Tacos
Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai & Hola Arepa
Courtney Henry, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
Daniel del Prado, DDP Restaurant Group - Josefina, Macanda, Layline, Café Ceres, Cardamom, Colita, Martina, Rosalia, Bar Rufus, Blondette, Miou Miou, & Porzana
Diane Moua, Dianes Place
Gustavo Romero, Oro & Nixta
Jared Brewington, Official Fried Chicken
Jess Kelley, Ono Hawaiian Plates
JJ Haywood, Pizza Luce
John Ng, Sushi Dori
Jorge Guzman, Pollo Pollo al Carbon, Petitie Leon & Chilango Mex-Tex
Justin Baylor, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
Justin Sutherland, J. Sutherland Concepts
Kamal Mohamed, Step Chld Khalid Ansari, Baba's Hummus House & Mana'eesh Bakery
Kim Tong, All Saints Leo Judeh, Shish Bistro Lina Goh, Zen Box Izakaya
Lonnie J McQuirter, 36 Lyn Refuel Station
Margo Roberts, Alma & Brasa Melissa Kennedy, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
Michael Shaughnessy, Pink Ivy Kitchen and Bar Nettie Colón, Red Hen GastroLab
Pedro Wolcott, Guacaya Bistreaux
Peter & Linda Bian, Saturday Dumpling Co. Rolando Diaz, Marna’s Catering
Saed Wadi, World Street Kitchen & Milkjam Creamery
Sameh Wadi, World Street Kitchen & Milkjam Creamery
Sanjeev Azad, Lake and Bryant Café
Sean Sherman, Owamni by The Sioux Chef Tammy Wong, Rainbow Restaurant
Tim Baylor, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
Tracy Wong, My Huong Kitchen
Viorica Shaughnessy, Pink Ivy Kitchen and Bar
Warren Seta, Ono Hawaiian Plates
Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen, Vina
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