If you've ever worked back-of-house at a fast-casual spot or even a full-service restaurant, then you know that restaurant work is some of the most highly demanding — and yet lowest-paid — work out there. According to a 2014 report from the Economic Policy Institute, "by and large, the industry consists of very low-wage jobs with few benefits, and many restaurant workers live in poverty or near-poverty."
When you factor in the COVID-19 pandemic, the picture for restaurant workers in the United States looks even grimmer, with 2.5 million having lost their jobs in the sector in 2020 alone — wiping away six years of growth in just 12 months, according to CNBC. Recovery from the pandemic in 2021 completely redefined the job market in retail and hospitality, and a stunning development that's been named "the Great Resignation" occurred — more than 40 million workers in those sectors voluntarily left their jobs to seek better-paid, more humane ones in fields such as tech sales and law administration (via The New York Times).
On the heels of this wave-making reshuffling of restaurant workers, employees at Applebee's are protesting the chain's poor wages, specifically for how much lower they are for non-white employees.
According to a press release, Applebee's workers are protesting today in Brooklyn, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. These protests come after a news-making email from March 9, 2022, penned by Applebee's...
A purported image showing the design of the new identity cards, featuring the Malaysian coat of arms, flag and a digital thumbprint, was shared on Facebook on April 14, 2026. "Said to be the new m...