12/8/2023 0 Comments Cafe gratitude santa cruz![]() The management crew at the Little Italy location on opening day: (l to r) Mike Perez (general manager) Ryland Engelhart (chief inspiration officer) Dreux Ellis (executive chef) Terces Engelhart (original founder of CG) Cary Mosier (COO) and Niels Tervoort (floor manager) (Photo by Morgan M. Sounds all too unfamiliar, like some futuristic utopian society, right?Ĭafé Gratitude - which just opened its doors July 29 in the Broadstone mixed-use building in Little Italy - is indeed that place. Then imagine the staff at that place metaphorically sweeping you off your feet the moment you walk in the door you’re greeted tenderly and asked how you are feeling and are really listened to each item on the menu is referenced as an affirmation that is then replied back to you when you order its serving dishes ask you to reflect a place where each member of the staff meditate and “clear” their thoughts just minutes after clocking in to ensure they in are in the right mindset to interact with customers where the management tells you the food is made with love and their goal is to have you leave feeling nourished and more grateful and appreciative and overall in a much better place than the moment you walked in. Imagine entering a restaurant where the food is 100 percent organic and plant-based and its sources are all from local farmers who support sustainable agriculture, and they only use environmentally friendly products. According to the owners, the legions of fans of the food have about three to six months left before any locations close.New Little Italy restaurant seeks to change the world, one meal at a time It's an oddly polarizing ending for what seems to have been a polarizing place all along. Over two years ago the East Bay Express ran a piece charging the owners encouraged employees - and required management - to attend a $500, controversial training program called Landmark Forum. This isn't the first time Cafe Gratitude has been in the media on a less than sweet note. Sommers points out that while crying poverty, Café Gratitude has brought on one of the biggest and priciest labor-defense firms in the country, Littler Mendelssohn, and if this were any normal labor dispute that firm would not likely be advising them to close their whole operation over a mere $200,000. The employees' lawyer told GrubStreet there's something else going on: ![]() The article goes on to say "the company is also the subject of a lawsuit stemming from allegations of violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act." ’s lawsuit alleges that he was paid as a salaried employee, when he should have been paid as an hourly employee, and as a result he is owed overtime pay. alleges in her suit that she was not given legally mandated breaks and that a tip-pooling practice robbed her of the bulk of her tips earned during server shifts. He says their combined claims are less than $200,000: ![]() The Bay Citizen talked to a lawyer representing the two employees who are suing. Engelhart's husband, Matthew Engelhart, has said that with the exception of their LA restaurant, all of the Cafe Gratitudes, which employ about 200 people, will close. That commitment is under attack and we are not able to weather this storm.ĭespite the talk about unconditional love, the Facebook announcement and the SFist piece was apparently the first employees heard that they'd be out of work shortly. We were happy to tolerate low margins and sustain ourselves on the transformation and personal growth of our people, while providing local organic vegan food to our community in an atmosphere of unconditional love. Since word first came yesterday that the popular vegan restaurant Cafe Gratitude was closing its seven Northern California locations, the story has gotten stranger and stranger.Ĭo-owner Terces Engelhart posted this message on her Facebook page, saying "aggressive lawsuits" were forcing the chain to close: ![]() UPDATE: SFWeekly reports that the Santa Cruz location may be staying open
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