RACISM AT WORK
Why New Orleans Restaurants Put Black People in the Back
A personal essay about racism in the hospitality industry
After working for nearly eleven years in New Orleans restaurants, I learned a lot about the hospitality industry, the ins and outs of day-to-day operations, hiring and firing practices, and even race relations. And now that I no longer work in the industry, I feel more willing to speak about those experiences and less beholden to an unspoken code of Southern silence. For instance, while working at Red Fish Grill in the French Quarter, the general manager received a letter from a customer who dined a few weeks before Mardi Gras. She praised the staff for their kindness and the chefs' culinary talents but complained that management "had all the Black people working in the back."
For those unfamiliar with restaurant practices, you should know that servers often make the most in a high-end restaurant. Back-of-the-house positions are hourly workers who typically don't make more than $10 an hour unless you are a head chef, sous chef, or kitchen manager. While nothing is guaranteed for servers, who make $2.13 plus tips, at a busy restaurant, they can typically make enough to support themselves. So, the customer understood that only allowing Black people to work in back-of-house…
