Restaurant group to raise minimum wage
Will raise minimum wage to $15 in 2021
Philadelphia-based Marquis & Co. will increase pay to $15 an hour at the beginning of the third quarter 2021.
The Marquis & Co. restaurant group has announced plans to raise the minimum wage for employees of its area restaurants to $15. The increase is expected to begin in all of the company’s restaurants at the beginning of Q3 2021. The minimum wage is currently $7.25.
The company said it is making the change in part to “recognize the hardships that workers have experienced during the past year, especially women and people of color,” according to a press release. For tipped workers, the restaurant group will ensure that earnings reach a minimum of $15 per hour.
Marquis & Co. is a Philadelphia-based Latina woman-led plant-based restaurant group that includes nine restaurants in the region: HipCityVeg has five locations including Radnor (1), Ardmore (1), Philadelphia (3) and Washington, D.C. (2); as well as Bar Bombón and Charlie was a sinner, both in Philadelphia.
“Despite the intense economic hardship that has hit the restaurant industry and our workers over the last year, we believe that now is the time to do this for our families. We believe it not only is the right thing to do for our workers that have been through so much over the past year, but that it is also good for business, and it will help with recruiting and retention as our economy rebounds,” HipCityVeg Founder and CEO, Nicole Marquis, said in the release.
The commitment comes as the Covid-19 pandemic recedes — after causing hardship for the restaurant industry. It also comes on the heels of a “historic and important civil and human rights movement in 2020 and 2021,” the release stated.
“We have always been committed to the growth and development of our team at every level of our organization. Compassion is one of our company’s core values. We believe that when we treat our employees with respect and care, they reflect that right back to our customers,” Michelle LaVigne, vice president of operations for Marquis & Co., said in the release.
“Fifteen for our Families is the next important step toward growing our company and culture, building the world we want to live in, and communicating through our actions how much we value those who helped us get through the past year, and continue to contribute to our success,” Marquis said. “We want our team, and their families, to continue to be part of our family.”
The company says it provides careers to its employees, not just jobs, and grows the management team from within whenever possible.
“From my first interview, I knew the company was for me. It’s so nice to be working with a company that understands people and appreciates and cares about them,” Kesha Johnston, general manager of HipCityVeg’s Broad Street location in Philadelphia, said in the release. She joined the company in 2019.
“Workers today care about salary and benefits, and they also want to feel like they are part of something greater, Danielle Minnis, human resources manager for Marquis & Co., said in the release.