Chefs and Restaurants
Do You Have a Plan for an ICE Raid?
January 29, 2025
“Everybody is so afraid.” That’s what a North Carolina chef told me last week when I called to talk about how he and his community are preparing for ICE raids on undocumented immigrants. I’d bet that anyone who’s worked in hospitality knows an undocumented worker. American restaurants—from greasy spoons to Michelin stars—employ an estimated 1 million of them. They are prep cooks, porters, cleaners, the scaffolding that holds up our industry. They showed up during COVID to cook and deliver food and keep our businesses and their families afloat. Now, they’re under threat in their homes and churches, at their children’s schools, and, possibly, your restaurant.
That North Carolina chef also told me that the immigrant community isn’t going down without a fight. Along with restaurant owners across the country, he’s making a plan for what to do if ICE shows up at his door, educating his employees about their rights, and looking to like-minded business owners to help keep their community and workers safe. Do you have a plan? If not, read perspectives from some of your peers and get a step-by-step guide, prepared by Hospitality Attorney Vivian Chen, on what to do if ICE raids your restaurant.
Like what you're reading?
Register for Plate today to read about the people who make our industry great—from formerly incarcerated workers and asylum seekers to hustling immigrants and power players. Your support helps us to continue to report stories that matter to you, your business, and your workers. Sign up today.
What else are we into this week?
Can a restaurant really be debt-free? We talked to the owners of NOLA’s Saint-Germain, who’ve managed to stay clear of credit cards, simplified expenses, and streamlined their service to pull it off. Find out how here.
Chef/Owner Sam Fore of Lexington, Ky.’s Tuk Tuk Snack Shop has been on an intense fried chicken journey since 2017. She played with marinades, dredges, fry time, and finishing flavors until she found the juicy bite she was going for 30+ tries later. Click here to track her research and find out what she ultimately considers true perfection when it comes to fried poultry.
Chicacgo’s Tzuco has 400 reservations on the books for Valentine’s Day, and the pastry team is planning on prepping 300 showstopping “Rosa” desserts—inspired by Piere Hermé and executed tableside with liquid nitrogen. Find out how Pastry Chef Ana Paola Fernández developed the dish and get the recipe in our bite of the week.
With L.A. still reeling from the devastating wildfires, a check in on the Asheville community five months after Hurricane Helene reinforces the long-term effects natural disasters have on the restaurant industry. Pete Wells wrote about the restaurants that are starting to slowly reopen, those that have shuttered for good, and how the community is forever changed in this New York Times story.
- Log in or register to post comments