Hospitality Better Suited to Create Better Restaurants
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to create living wages and foster a culture of fairness and inclusivity within the restaurant industry. We are committed to ensuring that every hospitality professional is compensated fairly and given equal opportunities for growth and advancement.
THE ISSUE AT HAND
The reality of our industry is that chefs are rarely given a living wage. All we have is… the dream——the desire to be THAT chef, the belief that all the sacrifices will lead to the inevitable stardom. Unfortunately, our industry works on the slimmest of margins. As is, successful restaurants (industry standard) profit 8%. There's not a lot of room to pay people more. In fact, resources are so scarce that tipping is the only way our industry has survived to this day. Tipping subsidizes the restaurant model. It allows large groups of employees to receive a good livable wage. The problem is that tipped revenue is not allowed to be distributed to employees that aren't guest-facing. The restaurant model as is, requires that only kitchen employees sacrifice in order for it to exist.
MARKET SIZE & GROWTH
The United States Full Service Restaurants Market size is estimated at 324.90 billion USD in 2024, and is expected to reach 554.12 billion USD by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 11.27% during the forecast period
ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE THE TRADITIONAL RESTAURANT MODEL
With so many costs rising, it’s become obvious that restaurants are in trouble. Chefs are becoming more scarce as many turn to other professions. Things have gotten so dire that prominent restaurateurs are attempting to eliminate tipping and incorporate a service fee that would be divided up more evenly to the whole staff (by not being a tip, it can be shared with the kitchen staff). A valiant attempt that has already been dissolved by almost everyone who tried to implement it.
A few of the problems with the service charge method:
Servers already accustomed to making more, do not want to make less and will leave to work at restaurants with the traditional model.
Kitchen staffs only received a marginal increase, to again mitigate loss of money to servers who are accustomed to a higher salary.
Still a significant disparity in salary between chefs and other employees.
People, in general, are even more generous than the service charge takes into account… it actually led to less money coming in the door.
It alienated or confused some guests… People are accustomed to tipping and the restaurant model “as is''... They don’t care about our industry’s struggles or want to change, even if it's part of a bigger solution… The struggle of chefs does not resonate with people, regardless of how often they dine out.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
What we’re proposing is a modern restaurant model, where two teams of chefs alternate weeks on the floor and in the kitchen. Our aim is to divide the revenue coming through the door more equitably. One that rewards people for pursuing the currency of minutiae as well as all the work done with the guests.
WITH OUR MODEL
The guest experience doesn’t change. People dine, they tip, they leave.
All the tips are divided equally amongst the staff. No hierarchy, everyone contributes to the dining experience, everyone shares. True camaraderie can be achieved.
All employees learn every facet of our industry. People will leave with a true education in hospitality better suited to create better restaurants.
MEET THE TEAM
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David is the Owner & Executive Chef of Lita, La Otra & Heirloom Kitchen in New Jersey. In November 2023, Lita earned a spot on Esquire’s Best New Restaurant list.
Experience: 20 years
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Danny is an east coast hospitality veteran who supervises all the day-to-day operations at Lita and Heirloom at The St. Laurent. He joins Lita’s team as a longtime friend of David’s and an expert in service. Danny has spent over a decade with Mark Daniel Hospitality, overseeing three 100+ seat restaurants with robust bar programs across New Jersey.
Experience: 21 years
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Neilly is the Founder/Co Owner/Managing Director at Lita, Heirloom Kitchen, and Heirloom Kitchen at The St Laurent. A self taught entrepreneur, Neilly founded Heirloom Kitchen—the group’s first restaurant—in 2013 with her mom, Judy.
Experience: 11 years
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Ricardo was born and raised in Miami, Ricardo is a Cuban-American who found his way into the beverage industry through working in restaurant kitchens from an early age. He kick-started his career at James Beard-nominated Cacao and 190 before moving behind the bar.
Experience: 14 years