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Before the pandemic again, gender equity was still a challenge in leadership positions within the restaurant industry with only 22% of women in leadership positions (as compared with 47% of women in entry-level positions). But with the onset of COVID-19, that gap grew even wider as women have to increasingly choose between a changing situation at home as schools and daycares closed, and keeping up with work outside the home. In a Restaurants Rise by MUFSO session, “Emerging Stronger on the Side of Gender Equity” sponsored by Glen Valley Foods, Women’s Foodservice Forum CEO Therese Gearhart discussed gender inequities, the restaurant industry needs to address, and how they can use the unusual circumstances of the pandemic to come out ahead as people get back in the workforce and face the “new normal.” According to Gearhart, with the onset of the pandemic, women are 2.1 times more worried than men about being judged harshly at work for trying to balance their home life with their jobs. Additionally, one in four women industry-wide are considering leaving the workforce or downshifting. “Mothers are more likely than fathers to feel judged with the added responsibilities of work around childcare and homeschooling,” Gearhart said. “Women are faced with the potential decision of keeping their jobs or this new job of taking care of their families full-time. Working mothers always had a second shift after a full day of work, and now the support like daycares and schools that made that possible has been upended.” Gearhart said it will take time and a new kind of effort to reverse this worrisome trend. Here are some of her ideas:

Enforce a nondiscriminatory workforce all the time

Gearhart said that it’s not enough to put anti-discrimination policies down on paper or in employee handbooks; you have to make sure the policies are consistency followed up on. She recommends communicating these policies regularly with employees and following up to make sure the values of the company match what’s on paper. Anti-bias and anti-discrimination training is a good start, Gearhart said, but it needs to be followed up with action plans to put what employees learned into action. “Match training with real conversations and make sure you’re actually listening and hearing people’s voices,” Gearhart said.

Anti-bias starts with recruitment

Inclusivity does not just mean diversity or hitting a certain number of quotas to change workplace culture. Create better hiring practices where you’re looking at diverse slates of candidates to begin with before even considering the right candidate. Gearhart said the “old method” of making sure to consider at least two women as final candidates for every leadership position as a good start. “But don’t just focus on the numbers, you can get more people in the room but its not about the numbers alone,” she said. “You want to make sure you are empowering them and giving them a place and a voice at the table.”

Build a flexible work-life balance

One of the biggest challenges women face, particularly in a post-COVID world, is figuring out how to take care of these new at-home responsibilities while still keeping up and staying ahead at work. This could look like taking meeting times into consideration for working parents who have responsibilities at home or setting aside blocks of flexible work time. “It’s about recognizing what the needs [of the working parent] look like today,” Gearhart said. “Learn how to embrace genuine flexibility.”

Promote intersectionality

Do your policies help all women reach the next rungs of success, or do they only help white women and other advantaged groups? Gearhart said that it’s important to apply strategies of inclusivity and equity to all groups of women, and to think — as both a leader and an employee — am I only working with women who look like me? Am I only mentoring or promoting people who look like me? “Every person should be able to bring their whole self to work,” Gearhart said. “How are you making adjustments as a leader and asking yourself what you’re being told? All women are not just one group. Look at courageous authentic conversations.”

Commit to being a people-first company

“If you put people first, then there’s no way you can underestimate the benefits of opening your ears to hear things differently,” Gearhart said. “We’re at risk of losing even more women in the workplace but if we take bold steps to rise to the moment, we can end up laying the foundation for a flexible and equitable workplace where gender diversity is accelerated to levels like never before. It’s not, ‘can you?’ or ‘can we?’ It’s ‘will you?’ or ‘will we?’”  — Source: Title sponsors for MUFSO include the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo Foodservice, and Johnsonville Foodservice.

The  brand declared bankruptcy in June after issues with debt, covid, and increased competition

Bankrupt HopCat Parent Bought for $17.5 Million

BarFly Ventures, parent of HopCat, Stella’s Lounge, and Grand Rapids Brewing Company has emerged from bankruptcy, selling for $17.5 million to private investment firms Congruent Investment Partners and Main Street Capital. Congruent and Main Street, previously lenders to the company, will operate 11 units under the name Project BarFly LLC. “We know the business extremely well from our experiences over the last five years,” Travis Baldwin, founder of Congruent, said in a statement. “We strongly believe in each restaurant concept and intend to return the company’s focus to providing a unique, best-in-class customer experience. Our goal is to focus efforts around the company’s key markets and ensure HopCat, Stella’s, and Grand Rapids Brewing Company remain a thriving part of these communities.” When BarFly filed for bankruptcy in June, founder Mark Sellers attributed the company’s decline to an increase in competition and saturation of the craft beer market. He said BarFly was meeting those challenges until the COVID pandemic arrived. State and local restrictions forced a 100 percent drop in revenue for three months. He told the Michigan House of Representatives Regulatory Reform Committee at the time that his company was evicted from one HopCat location and was in default at other stores. The company entered court proceedings with more than $30 million in debt. According to MLive, HopCat attempted takeout, but the switch to off-premises wasn’t breaking even. Baldwin said BarFly is renewing efforts to focus on off-premises sales and restoring hours of operations across each of the 11 locations. “Over the last several months, the home office support team, general managers, and restaurant team members have worked hard to reopen the restaurants and stabilize the company,” said Ned Lindvall, CEO of Project BarFly. “The company has continued to improve operating results in a difficult environment by focusing on keeping our team and guests safe, improving our off-premise sales, and reconstructing our business as the marketplace expands and allows. The whole management team and I are very excited about the new owners. We think it’s a great fit for the company, and the energy and collaboration they bring will only enhance our recovery and growth. We are also thankful for our loyal guests and teammates—and vendor and landlord partners who have been working hard to make our progress possible.” BarFly was founded 12 years ago when HopCat first opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The chain’s expansion was financed by debt instead of cash to accelerate growth. However, underperforming locations shuttered and the COVID crisis worsened the trend. However, the new owners said BarFly is preparing for a turnaround. “HopCat, Stella’s and Grand Rapids Brewing Company are important to both Grand Rapids and the state of Michigan,” said Nick Meserve, managing director of Main Street, in a statement. “We intend for these restaurants to succeed and very much believe the company can return to growth as the pandemic subsides. This is much-needed good news for the local community and restaurant industry as a whole.” – Source: fsrmagazine.

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