Thamee’s pivot-Wapo article

[sandynva]

 I have to preface this all by saying that I unfortunately have never dined at Thamee,, I just didn’t get to it pre-covid— and I may be a bit biased because I’m quite fond of Mandalay in Silver Spring.  And I don’t know that much at all about the Business of restaurants, who they employ, how they raise money etc. 

But, am I the only one who wondered if what Thamee is doing is worthy of a huge Food section article?  Or is it just that what they are doing is better packaged and spun? spun  The owners seem to genuinely mean well, and have their heart in the right place and for that I applaud them.  

 But is what they are doing that different than what is being done— and has been done for decades— by most “ ethnic “ restaurants?   For example the post article calls their restaurant a celebration of immigrant food – in what way is it a celebration of immigrant food that, say, a & j, is not? I  would argue that all reasonably authentic ( is not totally Americanized) ethnic restaurants are celebrations of immigrant food. 

 They say that the servers speak nine different languages— is that really unusual in the DC restaurant world? The people in my ( relatively small) workplace  speak over 20 languages. Heck, on my little 10 house street I’m guessing there’s at least nine languages. 

   What’s the difference between the Burma Box and the meal kits sold by a bunch of restaurants?  And there’s a market place where you can buy foods and ingredients  made by black and brown people  that  novel?   I’ve never investigated this, but I’ve always assumed that the majority of stuff I buy from, say, Patel Brothers, 99 ranch or yekta market  was made by, or from companies owned by, people of color. 

 And is it really fair to call it a “Black Box”, if only one ingredient is sourced from a black farmer? 

 Again, I really do think that their heart is in the right place. But when I read this article I didn’t understand  how what they were doing was that different than what is done, and has always been done, by many minority owned and ethnic businesses and I wonder  why they are getting credit  ( and press and what is essentially a ton of free advertising!) for it when  others do not. 

[Ericandblueboy]

Quote

Q: 30% Gratuity added to Take Out Orders at Thamee
First, I would just like to point out that I support what they do and am a big fan of their cooking and treatment of staff. I just find it outrageous they've decided to add 30% to all take out orders, come on, it's take out and your not being served, not getting the ambiance and experience and are just getting a bag full of plastic containers. You don't even get a choice? I live around the corner and that is just a bitter pill to swallow, a lot of us in a variety of fields have been hit hard by the pandemic from a professional and financial standpoint. Kudos to them for standing up and highlighting inequalities but that just seems extremely excessive. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter and keep up the good work!

A: Tom Sietsema
I'm actually supportive of the initiative, which I mentioned in my recent story on the big changes at Thamee. I asked co-owner Simone Jacobson to respond to your post, and here's what she has to say on the matter:

Hello, Tom (and diners):
We are grateful for the opportunity to shed some light on why we've implemented a "Flat30" surcharge to all guest checks, and we invite diners to read our full Flat30 Manifesto here [thamee.com]. The Flat30 surcharge was implemented on July 17, 2020 and allows us to ensure our employees have access to a livable wage [livingwage.mit.edu], quality healthcare, career-advancing opportunities, employee profit-sharing after one year, and greater flexibility to sustain our team's wellbeing amidst an incredibly uncertain future for our industry, our nation, and our society.

The truth is we have all been complicit in underpaying for the privilege of dining out. Having our meals prepared by others in a restaurant, bar, or other space already operating with razor thin margins [eater.com] relies on ever rising costs while sales for most restaurants in America are at 50% or less due to the public health crisis. As a society, we've accepted paying restaurant workers a minimum wage rather than a livable wage, as housing and other costs of living skyrocket [vox.com].

We have all made ourselves comfortable with the idea that restaurant and bar workers do not deserve equal access to the same type of quality healthcare and benefits our peers in other industries enjoy. As a result, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities have been negatively and disproportionately affected by this unsustainable economic model. For reference, take a look at this Business Insider article [businessinsider.com] that gives an idea of how much products would actually cost if they were made in the United States.

We said NO to tips and YES to equity and solidarity because we believe the hospitality industry and the people in service to us year-round deserve better. Many of our diners agree. For those who do not, we regret we can no longer serve you if we want to uphold our radical vision for a better future. At Thamee, Burmese food and hospitality are served with a side of inventive beverages thanks to a majority-BIPOC staff. Their quality of life is directly impacted by us calling on diners to consider a perception shift and investment in this vision. 

We believe the alternative is no longer acceptable, and we invite our beloved D.C. dining community to reimagine the future of dining out with us, so we don't continue to see more permanent restaurant closures coupled with the departure of our city's best hospitality professionals from the industry forever.

Ultimately, we are inspired by one important guiding principle: We got us. Our "pivot" has been documented at thamee.com/covidupdates [thamee.com] and has unfolded over more than four months of providing 4,000+ free meals to those in need, extended support for other BIPOC food start-ups and strategic partnerships with Black-led, Black serving organizations like Dreaming Out Loud. It has been a process of navigating uncharted territory without a playbook. 

We know and are grateful that the diners who crave Burmese food cooked by Chef Jocelyn Law-Yone and supported by a majority BIPOC staff will always find their way home to Thamee. Thank you for helping us bring integrity to our daily work. It is our honor and pleasure to be in service to and with you.

With gratitude,
Team Thamee (Chef Jocelyn, Simone, and Eric) 

People should always factor in the total cost of dining out, or in this case, getting take-out.  If they think they can squeeze 30% out of people in these times, more power to them.

[DonRocks]

3 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

People should always factor in the total cost of dining out, or in this case, getting take-out.  If they think they can squeeze 30% out of people in these times, more power to them.

I'm all for paying workers a fair wage, but at the risk of using a hackneyed term, "30%" doesn't make for good optics.

Restaurants have been robbing Peter to pay Paul (*) since time immemorial (if the food prices are low, the wine prices are high; if the rabbit is a bargain, the pasta is a rip-off, etc.).

(*) Paul is the owner; Peter is a line cook.

[sandynva]

 Is there a reason to not just increase all the prices 30%? I think some of what people don’t like with surcharges like this is the semi-hidden surprise,  you think something will cost X then it costs Y. Unless the point of keeping it as a surcharge is to highlight what they are doing with it maybe.