WhataFail: How Some Dallas Restaurants Treat Their Employees

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a new restaurant guide. The 52-page guide makes no mention of food quality, ingredient sourcing, or a customer's dining experience, but instead focuses on how well restaurants treat their employees. Wages, benefits and advancement opportunities are evaluated across more than 180 restaurants, giving silver...

By Scott Reitz

February 9, 2012

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Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a new restaurant guide. The 52-page guide makes no mention of food quality, ingredient sourcing, or a customer's dining experience, but instead focuses on how well restaurants treat their employees. Wages, benefits and advancement opportunities are evaluated across more than 180 restaurants, giving silver and gold prizes to highest performers.

Here's how a few Dallas restaurants fared.

Whataburger, your favorite Texas-based burger joint squeezes its employees like it does those dry, thin burger patties according to ROC -- it received zeros across the board. There's no mention about their new spicy ketchup and it's effect on employee morale, though.

Buffalo Wild Wings, with a location on Cedar Springs in Oak Lawn got straight goose eggs, too.

Capital Grille, Olive Garden and Red Lobster had the most incriminating evaluations. According to the guide, employees at these restaurants have sought and obtained ROC's help on legal charges regarding discrimination and wage theft.

The guide isn't all chains and bad news, though. Craft, the fine dining restaurant with a location at the W Hotel received a gold award in the guide. Five Guys fared well too, with decent health benefits and advancement opportunities. Sounds like I have all the excuse I need for today's serving of grease.

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