Seven weeks after California restaurants were told to close their dining rooms, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced a new initiative to help the restaurant industry, which has been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak. Called High Road Kitchens, the program helps fund a network of independent restaurants to provide meals on a sliding scale to folks in need.
The program, which is supported by both public and private funds, offers money to help restaurants reopen and re-employ their staff. Those restaurants, in turn, commit to provide livable wages and equity to their workers. The program is managed by One Fair Wage, a nonprofit that advocates for tipped workers, who make less than the minimum wage in all but seven states.