Los Angeles Restaurant Workers Need Our Support

Dear Pros,

Amelia here.

Since January 7, the city of Los Angeles has been devastated by multiple wildfires. Entire neighborhoods are gone. More than 12,000 structures have been destroyed and 80,000 people have been displaced, losing a life's worth of belongings along with basic necessities. But through all these tragedies, the hospitality industry has done what they do best — spring into action and feed their community, even when they and their own businesses are struggling.

In the days following the wildfires, hundreds of restaurant owners offered their dining rooms as safe spaces for those who have been displaced, with free meals for evacuees and frontline workers. 2009 Food & Wine Best New Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo rallied a troop of volunteers to deliver Jon & Vinny's pizzas to first responders. As of three days ago, they've provided 1,200 meals. 2022 F&W Best New Chef Justin Pichetrungsi and his team at Anajak Thai have been handing out free meals as well (you can Venmo @anajak-thai to help fund their efforts). 2017 F&W Best New Chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, owners of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, are accepting donations through Postmates and Uber Eats with an option you can add to your order. They're preparing meals to donate to the Hollywood Food Coalition, South Pasadena San Marino YMCA, World Central Kitchen, as well as to firefighters and first responders.

These are just a few of the hundreds of restaurant workers who have spent the last two weeks in response mode, giving Angelenos a sense of comfort and normalcy during a time of extreme trauma. Restaurant workers know how to put on a smile to prioritize others' needs — it's literally their specialty. And yet, we can't forget that these hospitality professionals are experiencing just as much loss. They are also displaced, they are also without homes, and many had to watch their own restaurants burn. I've created a landing page for nonprofits and GoFundMes that support restaurant workers. A donation goes a long way, but that's just the beginning.

The other problem is that people in Los Angeles aren't going out to eat. It's understandable — how does a diner get excited about cocktails and seasonal vegetables when the world is burning down around them? But the longer people avoid restaurants, the more restaurants will close. In a conversation with my colleague Kat Kinsman, chef Tyler Florence, who has spent time volunteering with World Central Kitchen in Los Angeles, expressed the importance of spending your time and money at restaurants.

"These restaurants are sitting at half capacity because everyone's afraid of going out," he says. "Go out and have dinner and support your neighborhood restaurant or get takeout. It's really important. Keep these people alive. Restaurants are very fragile. They're very, very, very fragile." Read more of his interview here.

As always, we'd love to hear from you. Are you a Los Angeles-based restaurant worker? Do you know of one who needs support? Please email me. We will do our best to spread the word.

Talk soon,
Amelia