Restaurant Week highlights struggles of industry
UPDATE 10/09/18 6:45 p.m. Thousands in Santa Cruz County work in the restaurant industry and face the challenges that come along with it.
Restaurant week starting October 10th hightlights those challenges along with the importance of the industry. Dozens of locally owned restaurants are taking part, including Your Place restaurant located at 1719 Mission Street in Santa Cruz.
Owners Art Russell and Rachel Wisotsky opened their doors five years ago.
They say they are some of the lucky ones whos restaurant is doing well, “it’s been awesome we’ve really become part of the community and that to me is what this was all about when we first opened,” says Wisotsky.
But it hasn’t been a cake walk to get to this point, it takes a lot of time and love. Russell is usually in the restaurant on the weekends from 5 a.m. until 9 or 10 p.m. “and that doesn’t include all the shopping and bill paying and getting the fresh produce.”
Russell has worked in the industry for more than 40 years.
Wisotsky started out as a server working minimum wage and raising a son. She says she feels for the servers who financially struggle, “the only way I made it was because my folks babysat for me on the weekends. The truth is the only way this restaurant exists is because I’m serving. I’m here. We couldn’t make it.”
And they are not the only ones. As of August 2018 more than 12,500 people work in the food services industry in Santa Cruz County. The average wage for someone in the restaurant industry is $25,000 while the livable wage in the county is $34,000.
But despite the struggles of this industry, Russell and Wisotsky say they wouldn’t have it any other way.
During restaurant week, participating restaurants offer fixed three-course meals ranging from $25-$35.
Owners of Your Place say it’s their way of saying, “plate by plate say thanks, thanks for letting us be here, thanks for supporting us. It’s a good way of giving back to the community.”
For a list of restaurants participating and their menu, click here.
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Dozens of a locally owned restaurants are taking part in Santa Cruz restaurant week.
During that time participating restaurants offer fixed three-course meals ranging from $25-$35. Restaurant owners KION spoke with say it’s their way of giving back to the community.
They say it also highlights the importance of dining at locally owned restaurants and the challenges faced working in the industry.
For a list of restaurants participating and their menu, click here.
KION’s Ashley Keehn will have more at 5p.m. & 6 p.m.
