There’s a reason 2022 season passes to Counter- are already sold out for Chef Sam Hart’s unconventional dining experiences, even in a time when so many are struggling. Counter- also happens to have a 40 percent customer return rate, rare in the tasting menu realm. To Hart, the return rate is an expected result of rectifying a common issue in the industry: prioritizing staff welfare.

His theory — tested time and again with successful results since opening in April 2020 — is that a joyful, fulfilled staff will directly impact diners’ happiness. So far, he’s been right. The rave reviews keep coming, and reservations keep filling up. Hart challenged himself when he dreamed up Counter- years ago, and is now challenging others in the restaurant industry to change their ways. This is a significant reason why UP subscribers nominated Hart for two categories in this year’s UPPY Awards: Best Chef and Most Impactful Industry Member.

Hart’s vision is this: No more chefs yelling and belittling. No more acting as though customers are always right, even when they’re in the wrong. No more scarcity of living wages with no time to rest. No more getting stiffed for service. And most importantly, no more mental health stigma. 

Hart worked in one of the most grueling and demanding environments as a chef in Chicago’s Alinea. Learning from such conditions helped him cultivate a different atmosphere for himself and his team, one that Hart calls “creative, joyous, efficient, and healthy.” He achieves this by offering fair compensation, thorough benefits, and an investment in staff as professionals and people.   

He recently took some of his team to Chicago where they gathered creative inspiration and skill development by dining in some of the city’s leading restaurant concepts. 

“It cost the business around $20,000, but it’s important to ask not what a staff member will cost but what they are worth,” Hart says of the experience.

Seeing employees differently is a mindset that’s catching on more and more. As a September 2021 Eater article reports, “Grueling, ‘essential’ service work…has been done for too long on subminimum wage, or a minimum wage that isn’t actually a livable one,” and a nationwide study by One Fair Wage indicates forward momentum in its September 2021 brief: “In total, in just a 2 week period, we have documented over 1,600 restaurants that have raised wages to pay the full minimum wage with tips on top, with an average wage of about $13.50 — across 41 states in which the vast majority of restaurants were paying a subminimum wage of $5 or less earlier this year.”

Hart sees other Charlotte colleagues adopting this cultural shift by investing in their people, too. He notes Greg Collier, Rob Clement, and Travis Hearne as some of those he admires most. While Hart believes improving workers’ conditions is mostly for survival for many others, he still feels it’s better that it happens for bottom-line purposes than not at all.

Those who are proactive about retaining their employees continue to reap the benefits of increasing success in a tough market. Already outgrowing his original space, Hart will transition into a new venue next year with an adjacent wine bar, Biblio, to be curated with about 500 wines. He says that Counter- 2.0 will serve up an even better experience, but it will add only four seats. While this may be curious to some in light of the long wait for reservations, Hart feels differently. 

“The true form of success shouldn’t be measured by making as much money as possible,” he says. “It should be about generating as much happiness and fulfillment as possible.”

Hart describes his guests as “outrageously supportive” of his mission. They don’t mind that their bill includes an automatic 20 percent service charge because the staff works hard to create such a positive, immersive meal for them.

To Hart, taking care of his employees is also simply good business sense. “If we don’t support a living wage, we won’t get support from the industry,” he says. “There have to be incentives.” At Counter-, employees are salaried, receive four weeks paid time off plus 7 to 10 mental health days for rest, and a comprehensive onboarding package with additional resources for their wellbeing. As a supervisor, Hart is also tuned in when someone is on the verge of overwork. It is common for him to cut someone early and recommend they take a little down time. On occasion, he even closes the restaurant for everyone to enjoy a well-deserved break. 

“This is a high pressure industry, and that can really aggravate any existing conditions and circumstances,” Hart says, speaking from his own struggle to maintain mental wellness.

The culinary profession’s intensity is now compounded by the strain Covid-19 brings. Restaurant owners and operators like Hart must hustle during a time when hosts are regularly accosted and assaulted simply for enforcing regulations. Waiters are covering multiple shifts when teammates cannot or do not show, and reduced capacity means reduced earning potential. 

These challenges are a wake up call to provide solutions. Tupelo Honey is doing so. The restaurant group now has a series of employee support programs for assistance and growth: 

• Biscuits for a Cause helps employees in need (to date, over $500,000 has been raised and an employee at every Tupelo Honey location has received funding support since April 2020).
• Honeypot Program & Fair Start Wages ensures a minimum wage of $13 per hour and provides an extensive program of paid time, sick pay, medical benefits, education reimbursements, and other resources for hourly and salaried staff.
• ASPIRE Diversity Program provides people of color with training, personal development, and wider access to organizational leadership opportunities.

Another industry member shattering tradition to put people first is Chris Sottile, owner of The Loyalist Market. He believes wellbeing begins in-house, which is likely one reason he has remained 95 percent staffed this year, while others have been unable to attract or keep workers. 

“Hospitality starts at the top, and it shouldn’t just be given to guests,” he says. “You give it to your employees first, and they broadcast that to your guests.”

That’s why he took the time on September 15, 2021 to post a five-minute video announcement on The Loyalist Market’s Instagram. The message explained why he was — for the first time since opening four years prior — raising prices. Retail cheese, charcuterie, beer, and wine did not increase, but each menu item went up $1 across the board. 

“There’s a new train of thought in this industry that’s starting to sweep through,” Sottile says in the video. “Some of us are leaders, and we will be the first to adopt these changes. Sadly, those who don’t, won’t be here much longer. And I want to be here.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Loyalist Market (@theloyalistmarket)

His move, called “courageous” by many of his followers, will bring in an anticipated $45,000 additional revenue each year, all of which will go to employees in the form of raises: $2 per hour for full-time and $1 per hour for part-time workers. For a full-time team member working 40 hours a week, this means approximately $350 more per month. Sottile explains in his message how this can translate to more affordable housing, adequate insurance coverage, reliable transportation, and food security for his staff. 

“We are affectionately known as the Cheers of Matthews, and that is what makes me most proud of our concept,” he says. The way he sees it, it’s the chefs, servers, hosts, and everyone involved who truly make the establishment stand out. Even though he already pledged and honored a commitment of at least $15 per hour for each full-time employee, he felt called to do more due to Charlotte’s ever-increasing cost of living. “Several of my employees got a degree to pursue this as a career,” he says. “And they deserve to be paid a true living wage. I am going to help those who help me achieve my dreams.”

The post received almost 3,000 views and nearly 100 comments. Here are a few:

“As someone who works in the industry, I appreciate this so much. Not just that you are doing this and taking care of your staff, but also that you are sharing so openly about it.”

“Any business that goes out of its way to support its community ALWAYS has my full support! I remember when you made free sandwiches for kids at the start of the pandemic, and most recently organized back to school haircuts. You have an amazing product, a stellar team and continuously give back. It’s even nicer to see a business owner truly value their employees. I’ll gladly pay $1+ more to support that.”

“Shame that you even have to make this video, but awesome that you did.”

Sottile acknowledges that raises don’t fix everything. Still, he says, “I’d like to think that being a little more comfortable financially is one less thing for my team to worry about. Our guests have supported the price increase knowing that the revenue is going to our employees. They want to be a part of that positive change. People that have never been to our shop have told us they want to come check us out, just because they’re aware of what we’re doing.”

The Loyalist Market achieved its best success during 2020 and is on track to surpass that benchmark this year. 

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy