Local Restaurant Protest May Have National Implications

outside in Friendship Heights may look like a local story, but the protests—which also took place outside of Capital Grille restaurants in New York City and Chicago—may turn out to have some significant national implications for the restaurant industry.

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Orlando-based Darden Restaurants—the world's largest full-service restaurant company—charging it with discrimination against minority workers and violations of federal wage laws.

Some experts see the case as one that could send ripples through the entire restaurant sector and eventually force some large chains to change long-standing practices and priorities.

"This is a test for the whole restaurant industry," H.G. Parsa, a professor at the University of Central Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel earlier this month.

Even though only about two dozen or so workers are believed to be involved in the case, the monetary damages could be huge, if they win. Some think the damages could run into the multi-millions of dollars.

Among other things, the ROC is seeking to make its suit a class-action suit, which would mean that employees could win back wages, plus interest and an unspecified amount in damages.

But, proving actual discrimination in this case will be tough. At issue is whether Darden knowingly placed minorities in less-desirable jobs.

Ironically, Darden is considered to be a leader in the restaurant industry in promoting diversity policies and in opening up opportunites for minority workers. Its chairman and chief executive officer, Clarence Otis Jr., is black, and the company has been at the forefront in increasing opportunities for blacks, Latinos and other groups.

But as a $7.5-billion company, which also owns the popular Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains, it also presents a big target for the ROC. 

For its part, , pointing to its strong record on diversity issues. 

The ROC was formed in 2001 to aid restaurant workers who lost their jobs in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Critics have decribed the group as a 'radical' organization and have asserted that it has resorted to 'shakedown' tactics against restaurant owners in some instances in the past.

But, others praise ROC's efforts to empower restaurant workers. "It's hard to find a group that has made such a huge difference in [such a] short amount of time," Bob Shull of the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington told the Sentinel.   

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