Chef's Table South End

What It’s Like to Be an Undocumented Worker (and Unemployed) in the Restaurant Industry Now | Bon Appétit

"This restaurant relies heavily on undocumented labor: most of the back-of-house staff are undocumented workers who were trained on the job and now power the kitchen, including a 27-year-old Colombian sous-chef who arrived with no prior restaurant experience, learned to shuck oysters, moved up through stations, and now has four dishes on the menu and helps run the kitchen. The business paid competitive—but still limited—wages: the sous-chef reported earning about $6,400 a month ($4,800 after taxes), while total back-of-house payroll across the owner’s two restaurants is roughly $35,000–$40,000 per month, with $7,000–$8,000 withheld for taxes. After the COVID-19 shutdown on March 15, the restaurant closed and staff were left without unemployment or government relief; the owner has tried to bridge the gap by delivering final paychecks, organizing GoFundMe donations (which have netted roughly $350–$400 per person), paying some staff via Venmo, and applying for PPP loans, though those funds have been slow and the program difficult to navigate. The closure has left employees—many supporting families and paying Boston rents of about $1,100 plus utilities—vulnerable and unable to access unemployment, SNAP, or Medicaid despite years of paying taxes; both the sous-chef and the owner express that they would prefer legal work status so employees could receive benefits and security, and the sous-chef dreams of one day opening his own restaurant and legally employing others with similar backgrounds." - ByLeah Mennies