Behind the Kitchen Door

by Saru Jayaraman
Cornell University Press

Book CoverHow do restaurant workers live on some of the lowest wages in America? And how do poor working conditions—discriminatory labor practices, exploitation, and unsanitary kitchens—affect the meals that arrive at our restaurant tables? Food Labor Research Center director Saru Jayaraman sets out to answer these questions by following the lives of restaurant workers in eight American cities. Blending personal narrative and investigative journalism, her book is an exploration of the political, economic, and moral implications of dining out.

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Press and reviews

Op-Ed: A Heaping Plate of Momentum for Restaurant Workers
By Saru Jayaraman, TakePart, May 15, 2013

Moving Beyond Alinsky Activism
Moyers and Company, Group Think, May 8, 2013

May Day: A Vision for Restaurant Workers
The Center for Media Justice, May 1, 2013

Why Women and People of Color Keep Getting Shafted in the Growing Restaurant Industry
RH Reality Check, April 30, 2013

In tough economy, fast food workers grow old
In Plain Site, NBC News, April 15, 2013

5 Great Food Videos – Shorts
Forbes, April 13, 2013

Real Time with Bill Maher, April 12, 2013

Coming soon to a restaurant menu near you: Livable wages
Crain's Chicago Business, April 4, 2013

Behind the Kitchen Door: Meet New Ashoka Fellow Saru Jayaraman
Forbes, April 4, 2013

Saru Jayaraman on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show, MSNBC, March 30, 2013

What Goes on Behind the Kitchen Door
KQED Bay Area Bites, March 21, 2013

What Goes on Behind the Kitchen Door
Huffington Post, March 15, 2013

We Serve You — We Aren't Servants
Huffington Post, March 15, 2013

Seven Amazing Women Who Are Working to Change Our Food System
Earth Island Journal, March 8, 2013

The Top 13 Women of Color to Watch in 2013
Center for American Progress, March 8, 2013

An Interview with Saru Jayaraman
KCET Food Rant, March 5, 2013

Fighting the Other NRA -- Resources to Support Food Workers
Huffington Post, March 4, 2013

Restaurant Workers: Saru Jayaraman Takes Us 'Behind the Kitchen Door
AFL-CIO Now, February 27, 2013

Why Is the Restaurant Lobby Making Us Sick?
Huffington Post, February 20, 2013

Could You Live on $2.13 Per Hour -- Even With Tips? That's the Minimum Wage for Waiters
AlterNet, February 14, 2013

Why the Other NRA Loves the First Lady
Huffington Post, February 15, 2013

A Valentine's Day wish: Fairness for food workers
Pesticide Action Network, February 14, 2013

How the Other NRA Is Making Us Sick
Food Safety News, February 15, 2013

Going Behind the Kitchen Door to Inspire A Different Kind of Foodie
ColorLines, February 11, 2013

New book examines restaurant conditions
Saru Jayaraman discusses the information she uncovered about the restaurant industry
CNN's Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien, February 7, 2013

Behind the Kitchen Door (book review)
Reviewed by Penny Pleasance
New York Journal of Books, February 7, 2013

Quick Reads: "Behind the Kitchen Door" By Saru Jayaraman (book review)
Mother Jones, February 7, 2013

In the kitchen, injustice thrives
Op-ed by Saru Jayaraman
New York Daily News, February 6, 2013

To Consider: Seeking Better Conditions For Restaurant Employees
New York Times Diner's Journal "Front Burner," February 5, 2013

Fight flu, give restaurant workers paid sick leave
Op-ed by Saru Jayaraman
CNN Opinion, January 30, 2013

Do You Give As Much Thought to Restaurant Workers as You Do to Your Organic Chicken?
An interview with Saru Jayaraman by Amy Dean
Truthout, January 28, 2013

Justice for Food Workers: An Interview with Sarumathi Jayaraman
Civil Eats, September 4, 2012