Through a series of interactive modules, TRSC will assess and validate participants’ HR policies to reconfigure them in alignment with anti-racist and anti-oppression guidelines in a bid to equip participating companies with the tools and frameworks that will help them attract diverse talent and become the best in class brands of the future. Just as a good cast iron skillet needs to be re-seasoned regularly for optimum performance, the Canadian food industry needs to be re-calibrated to ensure it has proper representation, talent retention, service delivery and innovation.
“Restaurants Canada is thrilled to support The Re-Seasoning Coalition in its aim to disrupt discriminatory and racially biased frameworks,” said Christian Buhagiar, President and CEO, Restaurants Canada. “we look forward to supporting businesses to achieve a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future”.
In launching The Re-Seasoning Coalition, the initiative partnered with Technomic, a consulting firm specializing in foodservice industry research, to conduct a deep dive on understanding the Black guest and employee experience within the foodservice industry. The findings shed light on significant trends within the industry:
- Canadian consumers see a need for diversity, equity and inclusion practices to be implemented at the restaurants and food delivery apps they use, with 48 per cent of Canadians saying it should be a priority and 58 per cent of Canadians 18-to-34-years-old also in agreement;
- Black consumers are more likely to experience or witness racial discrimination at restaurants, with 69 per cent of Black guests saying they have experienced or witnessed racial prejudice compared to 51 per cent for the national average; and
- Black employees are more likely to experience or witness racial discrimination at work, with 50 per cent in agreement with this statement, compared to 29 per cent of employees of other races
To learn more about The Re-Seasoning Coalition, register for their upcoming webinar in collaboration with Technomic: ‘The Black Experience In Foodservice’. Taking place on Tuesday, October 4th, from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET, the conversation will take a deep dive into the Black experience in the foodservice industry, reviewing the findings of recent Restaurants Canada and Technomic research profiling operator, employee, and guest experiences with racism and anti-Black discrimination. The webinar will also share how consumers now expect foodservice organizations across the industry to evolve and become more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
For more details, the full report, or to become a member of The Re-Seasoning Coalition, visit www.thereseasoning.org