Restaurant Industry Serves Up Jobs For Employees Displaced By Katrina

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESTAURANT INDUSTRY MOBILIZES TO HELP DISPLACED NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES

Council of Independent Restaurants of America (CIRA), James Beard Foundation, Southern Foodways Alliance, Open Table, Association of Food Journalists, Others Serve Up Jobs

Tucson, AZ- Don Luria, president of the Council of Independent Restaurant of America (CIRA), is spearheading an effort to help the approximately 55,000 New Orleans restaurant workers that have been forced out of their jobs because of Katrina. “We’re assuming that even in places like the French Quarter, even if they don’t have water damage, they’re not going to have customers for a long time,” said Luria, “I think a lot of these people won’t be returning to New Orleans for a long time, if ever.”

Luria and the others launched www.cirajobs.com Sunday afternoon, September 4, while John T. Edge of Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) instructed fifty volunteers from his organization to place calls to the 1600 James Beard member restaurants urging them to do what they could to provide at least one job, preferably two, to the exiled New Orleans workers. “Any restaurateur, whether part of an affiliation or not, who would like to join our effort to help these people is urged to contact me at CIRAPresident@AOL.com,” said Luria.

Alex Brennan, president of the Houston Originals CIRA chapter, is scheduled to appear on Larry King Live to help spread the word to both the displaced workers and restaurateurs throughout America that would make a job available. Those employees affected by Katrina can go to the job bank website, post their resume and look for openings while prospective restaurants can post the jobs they have available.

Luria said the group is working closely with the American Red Cross, the airlines and several major hotel chains to provide transportation and temporary housing for the New Orleans refugees.

“Almost ten percent of the entire New Orleans labor force was employed in the restaurant business,” said Luria. “New Orleans is known worldwide for its culinary heritage and I’m certain that any restaurant in the United States would welcome its influence and style.” CIRA and its partners represent over 3000 of America’s most noted restaurants.


About CIRA
The roots for CIRA began to grow almost simultaneously in the fall of 1998. In Washington, DC, Robert Kinkead, proprietor of Kinkead’s started talking to fellow restaurateurs he knew in various locations throughout America about forming a national association dedicated to furthering the interests of independent operators. Meanwhile, in Tucson, Don Luria, Pat Connors and Janos Wilder had just formed a group of independents called the Tucson Originals to try to gain some even footing against the tide of chain operators that had suddenly overwhelmed the city’s culinary landscape. When
Kinkead read an article about the Tucson Originals in Restaurant Business Magazine, he urged Phillip Cook, whose company managed many of the leading associations in the food service and hospitality industry, if he would contact Luria to test the waters for a merger of the two groups.

After several meetings, the Tucson Originals became CIRA’s first chapter with the understanding that any future chapters to join would be mandated to incorporate “Originals” in their name. There are currently chapters in seventeen cities; Albuquerque, Birmingham, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Madison, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Sarasota, Tucson, Twin Cities, Washington DC and Mt. Washington Valley, NH and over 100 restaurants not affiliated with any particular chapter.

For more CIRA information, go to: www.dineoriginals.com.







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