From World Trade to Worker-Owned
It sounds like the plot of a feel-good movie.
It feels like the American Dream writ large and illustrated in full technicolor brilliance.
It is the New York City restaurant, “Colors:” a multi-cultural phoenix arising from the ashes of 9/11 to soar on the wings of its worker-owners, into the consciousness of the nation.
This Saturday, the Washington Post reported that workers put out of jobs by the demise of “Windows on the World,” the famed restaurant on the 107th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, have banded together and done what many might deem impossible: they have opened a cooperatively-run fine dining restaurant.
Cooperatively run restaurants, also known as co-ops, are not a new phenominon in the United States; in fact, Casa Nueva, here in Athens, Ohio, has just celebrated its 20th anniversary as a co-op.
Casa is one of those places that seems to typlify the co-op concept, which is built on the ideals of communal decision-making, social justice, green politics and sustaining local economies. The menu at Casa reflects the changing seasons of Southeastern Ohio, with more than 80% of its food coming from local sources, the atmosphere is “fine and funky,” with eclectic decor focused on the work of local artists, and the worker-owners all are friendly bohemian types who love to talk about the vegetarian special of the day, and are quick with a suggestion of one of the many house-made salsas.
The idea of a fine dining restaurant, however, doesn’t at first glance seem to meld as easily with the co-op way of running a business as does the vegetarian-inspired, local neighborhood eatery. Especially when one hears that the wages for the workers are thirteen dollars per hour–much higher than the pay for most of the toniest New York City restaurants.
But, the surviving staff members of “Windows,” aided by Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (last year, one of ROC-NY’s founders, Raphael Duran, was granted a Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award which honors young Catholics who demonstrate leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the United States), are setting out to prove that fine food and atmosphere in a restaurant does not have to come at the price of exploiting workers. The worker-owners, all from various countries around the world, have come together to create a restaurant with a menu, wine list, decor and atmosphere that reflects the eclectic backgrounds of the staff.
And the what a staff they seem to be: enthusiastic, upbeat, and knowlegeable.
And why not? They have beaten the odds, opened a restaurant that many believed would never fly and proved that co-ops do not have to be funky little vegetarian neighborhood restaurants.
They can be eclectic, funky big world-class New York restaurants, too.
