High Road Kitchens initiative provides an opportunity to build a new, more equitable, sustainable service industry for all workers. This first-in-the-nation, statewide initiative provides grants and subsidies to independent restaurants who commit to equitable wages and employment practices to re-hire their employees and re-purpose themselves as community kitchens. These venues commit to providing food on a sliding scale to low-wage workers, health care workers and others in need who are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating restaurants receive an initial grant from a combination of government and philanthropic funds, and then with the support of the program are able to self-sustain as a result of a system in which revenue from paying customers helps to subsidize free meals for their fellow community members.

HRK launched April 24 in San Diego, with over seven cities across California, including San Jose, Monterey, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco, coming on line in the next few weeks.

In addition to receiving support from the State of California, the High Road Kitchens Program is receiving funding from the City of San Francisco, and the Workforce Investment Boards of the City of San Jose and San Diego County. These Workforce Investment Boards are part of CA’s public workforce system – a statewide group of 45 locally led workforce boards who provide a wide range of employer and job seeker services including the Americas Job Centers of California. On the private side, the program is also being supported by the Haas Sr. Fund, the San Francisco Foundation, DMB Enterprises, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and others.

To learn more about High Roads Kitchen, please click here.