The Restaurant Opportunities Center of Washington, DC

Founded initially after September 11th, 2001, the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) has grown into a national organization with 8000 low-wage restaurant worker members in eight locations, and growing rapidly. From 2001 until 2008, our work was focused in New York City, and achieved great success in impact for restaurant workers. In summer 2007, ROC-NY hosted the nation’s first national restaurant worker convening, and the national organization, ROC-United, was born. In January 2008, the co-founders of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) left the local organization in the hands of former members and restaurant workers, and went on to launch ROC-United.

Over the last ten years, we have won more than ten workplace justice campaigns, winning more than $5 million in misappropriated tips and wages and discrimination payments for low-wage workers, and significant policy changes in high-profile fine dining restaurant companies covering thousands of workers. We have partnered with more than 50 responsible restaurant owners to promote the ‘high road’ to profitability, and have trained more than 2500 restaurant workers to advance to livable wage jobs within the industry. We have also published fifteen ground-breaking reports on the restaurant industry, obtaining significant media coverage, played an instrumental role in winning a statewide minimum wage increase for tipped workers, and initiated other policy campaigns at the local, state, and federal level. We have organized restaurant workers to open their own cooperatively-owned restaurants in New York and Detroit.

Since January 2008 we have launched affiliates in New Orleans, Miami, Michigan, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. In each region, we conduct workplace justice campaigns, partner with ‘high road’ restaurants to conduct advance restaurant workforce development programs, and collaborate with local academics and other allies to produce comprehensive participatory research and policy initiatives. Nationally, we organize national convening of restaurant workers, Congressional briefings, public forums, and more. In these ways, ROC continues to build power and voice for low-wage restaurant workers at the local, state, and federal levels.

ROC-U worked with local residents to launch ROC-DC in 2009, to organize restaurant workers in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. ROC-DC has 100’s of members and engages in workplace justice and policy campaigns, and workforce development work, etc.