Guide to Ethical Eating Finds Few First-Rate Restaurants in Philadelphia
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A local organization that advocates for the rights of restaurant workers has issued its second annual dining guide, hoping to promote better employment practices in the city's restaurant industry.
It sometimes seems you can't turn around in Philadelphia without finding a new restaurant opening. Yet the Restaurant Opportunities Center can recommend just seven of them to diners who want their waitstaff to be treated decently.
"It is discouraging, and I think anyone in Philadelphia should be concerned," says coordinator Fabricio Rodriguez.
And he says that even those who don't work in restaurants have a stake.
"If the only part of our economy that's growing is paid poverty wages with no benefits, that's dragging down our entire economy," he tells KYW Newsradio.
The guide is designed to help diners put pressure on restaurateurs -- just as they might do to get more non-meat or organic options.
"Make treating workers right a part of the menu," Rodriguez says.
The guide, either downloadable or as an app, is available at rocunited.org.