Darden Discrimination Suit Filed By Restaurant Opportunities Center United

Last week, Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC), an advocacy group dedicated to equality for restaurant workers, filed a federal employee discrimination suit against Darden Restaurants, the Orlando-based owners of Olive Garden, Red Lobster and five other full service dining chains. ROC claims that Darden systematically favors white workers over minorities at its Capital Grille chain of steakhouses and is seeking compensation for what it is calling an illegal system of discrimination.

ROC specifically alleges that minority workers at the Capital Grilles in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. are shunted away from front-of-house jobs like waiters and hosts and towards lower-paying jobs in the kitchen. The suit also claims that many workers have been forced to work without pay and that tips were distributed to workers in positions ineligible for tipping.

The advocacy group has also organized protests outside Capital Grille locations to support its cause, part of what it is calling the "Dignity at Darden" campaign.

Sandra Pelicini of the Orlando Sentinel argued that Darden is an unlikely target for a racial discrimination suit. Its CEO, she notes, is black, and the company has a well-established history of promoting minority workers to managerial positions.

Moreover, some have problems with the ROC's methods. Its best-known case was a highly public suit against B&B Hospitality, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianach's group of New York restaurants. Batali secured a restraining order against the ROC after its protestors became a serious nuisance.

Of course, reputation only gets you so far -- if the ROC can prove that Capital Grille acted improperly, it could win the case. Not that Darden seems all that worried. Representatives from the company, contacted by Crain's New York, described the ROC's allegations as "baseless."

Comments

[algerpost]

03:56 PM on 02/06/2012

I am interested that this article shouts Olive Garden and pictures its logo, but that the claim is actually against a different chain of restaurants owned by the parent company...and may in fact have little or nothing to do with the way things are run at Olive Garden. Seems a bit biased to me. Where is the picture of Capital Grilles the chain the story is really about? This is another example of the bad and inflammatory journalism that has become the hallmark of the Internet. Huffington Post you should be ashamed of putting out this misleading garbage/

[Ray Corr]

10:52 PM on 06/16/2012

I don't know what u r looking at the pic on this story is not an Olive Garden and even if it was so what! it's all Darden one board of directors, one stck sybal, one profit line! they don't pay out olive garden , then red lobster and so on it's 1 company i would know i work for them and guess what they do discriminate! I was told outright not to hire any more gay people for the front of the house (we had 2) also was told to hire a black female to open the door so people would think we had more black people working for us this is how it work

[driverstest]

02:28 PM on 02/06/2012

Give me a break. The restaurants are hurting for good employees and employees that actually show up for work.

[GraphicMatt]

12:23 PM on 02/07/2012

What does that have to do with the claim that black employees are not given front of house jobs?

[campcranston]

01:31 PM on 02/06/2012

Well I guess we'll just have to let things shake out and see who comes out on top. Wouldn't be terribly surprised if these suits are true, corporations tend to care very little about anything but bottom line.

[zmannyc2]

01:25 PM on 02/06/2012

Hmmm, based on my visits to the OG here in Chelsea, I didn't think they hired white people...anywhere. But I find the staff and managers to be very friendly and welcoming.

[O K Ali]

10:53 PM on 02/06/2012

The suit is against Capital Grille.

[CAhye]

01:12 PM on 02/06/2012

i have never had a white server at olive garden, food is avg at best

[GraphicMatt]

12:24 PM on 02/07/2012

Did you actually read the article? It's Capital Grille that has been accused of this. Same parent company as Olive Garden. The photo was deceptive though.

[Sharon Collins]

10:34 AM on 02/09/2012

I wonder if there is not only a color-coded system of steering employees to front-of-the house jobs based on race, but also of steering to certain tiers of Darden restaurants (such as Olive Garden vs. Capital Grille.) Interesting article, especially the part pointing out that the CEO is Black. Symbolically powerful I suppose, but meaningless.