Making an Impact in the Restaurant Industry

05/13/21 • 34 min

Court Desautels, CEO of the Neighbourhood Group of Companies, shares how his restaurants operate differently. They have health and wellness programs, including paid health benefits and education supports. They interview and listen to their employees to see what they need and how they can help. They empower the employees to decide which local charitable organizations to support. They sold gift cards during COVID and gave all the proceeds to their employees, allocated by an employee team. All of this translates to a big investment, one that’s paying off, including in cutting a typically high restaurant attrition rate in half, and in a loyal clientele.

Addressing some industry challenges COVID has highlighted, Court also shares some suggestions of how other restaurants might follow suit, as well as changes that are needed in the industry to benefit all restaurant employees. Whether you’re a business leader, restaurant employee, you like to eat out, or you’re interested in seeing more decent work and less precarious employment, there are messages here for you. Have a listen.

Resources

The Neighbourhood Group of Restaurants: https://www.neighbourhoodgroup.com/restaurants

Court Desautels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/court-desautels-7327971a

Let My People Go Surfing book: https://www.patagonia.com/product/let-my-people-go-surfing-revised-paperback-book/BK067.html

B Corp: https://bcorporation.net

B Lab: https://bcorporation.net/about-b-lab

Danny Meyer, Founder & CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group: https://www.ushgnyc.com/team-member/danny-meyer/

Economic Recovery Task Force, Guelph: https://guelph.ca/city-hall/mayor-and-council/mayors-office/mayors-task-force-on-economic-recovery/

Restaurants Canada: https://www.restaurantscanada.org

Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal

Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Resources

The Neighbourhood Group of Restaurants: https://www.neighbourhoodgroup.com/restaurants

Court Desautels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/court-desautels-7327971a

Let My People Go Surfing book: https://www.patagonia.com/product/let-my-people-go-surfing-revised-paperback-book/BK067.html

B Corp: https://bcorporation.net

B Lab: https://bcorporation.net/about-b-lab

Danny Meyer, Founder & CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group: https://www.ushgnyc.com/team-member/danny-meyer/

Economic Recovery Task Force, Guelph: https://guelph.ca/city-hall/mayor-and-council/mayors-office/mayors-task-force-on-economic-recovery/

Restaurants Canada: https://www.restaurantscanada.org

Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal

Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Previous Episode

Uncovering & Addressing Mental Health Needs for Rural Youth

This podcast shares the findings and experience of following a Collective Impact process for the Rural Ottawa Youth Mental Health Collective, led by Nicole McKerracher, Executive Director of O-YA, a youth association in a rural Ottawa village.

We’re joined by Emily Dozois, a youth with personal experience trying to access mental health services in rural Ottawa, and Evaluations Coordinator for the Collective. In particular, we hear the actionable findings from their survey of over 300 rural Ottawa youth, along with challenges and tips for creating and administering a survey through social media. Overall, they share their reflections on what has made this Collective successful and some of the ups and downs you might expect from Collective work. We also hear their enthusiasm and dedication for addressing this important and often overlooked issue. Have a listen!

Resources

O-YA (Osgoode Youth Association): http://www.o-ya.ca

Rural Ottawa Youth Mental Health Collective: http://www.o-ya.ca/rural-ottawa-youth-mental-health-collective1.html

Instagram: @ruralottawayouth

Facebook: @ruralottawayouth

Laidlaw Foundation: https://laidlawfdn.org/index.html

YouthCI: https://laidlawfdn.org/grants-and-programs.html#yci

Conversation Starter Grant: https://laidlawfdn.org/grants-and-programs.html#yci

Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal

Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Next Episode

Educational Success for Racialized & Newcomer Youth, with Leo Johnson, Founder, Empowerment Squared

Having been a refugee himself as a youth, Leo shares how he has taken his own experience and created an organization to support youth to ensure they can navigate the Canadian system for educational success, to lay the foundation for life’s success. We hear about Empowerment Squared’swork with Hamilton youth, and importantly, their parents or caregivers.

We learn of the effects of COVID-19 on their work, and how they’ve pivoted and are now serving many more people, and in a broader way, which they see as a lasting effect. At the same time, we hear how his work has now expanded to a ground-breaking learning centre in his native Liberia.

While there are needs here at home, there are greater needs globally and Leo is part of addressing that, too. Finally, we talk about the sector itself, and how the funding model must change for nonprofits to be successful, and particularly to address systemic racism.

Resources

Empowerment Squared: https://empowermentsquared.org

Liberian Learning Centre: https://empowermentsquared.org/liberian-learning-centre/

Brock University: https://brocku.ca/education/

Hamilton Community Foundation: https://hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca

United Way Halton-Hamilton: https://www.uwhh.ca

Ontario Trillium Foundation Systems Innovation: https://otf.ca/our-grants/youth-opportunities-fund/system-innovations-stream

Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal

Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca