The restaurant industry has long struggled with the divide between front and back-of-house compensation. In this archive episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, Chef Katie Button of Cúrate and La Bodega by Cúrate in Asheville reveals how she completely transformed her restaurant's pay structure after the pandemic shutdown. Katie details her journey from engineering PhD student to award-winning chef, and explains why she took the bold step of eliminating sub-minimum wage pay, implementing a weighted tip pool, and creating transparent pathways for advancement. She candidly discusses the challenges and benefits of this transformation, from staff reactions to financial adjustments, ultimately showing how creating more equitable compensation has strengthened her restaurant team and culture.

Resources

• Connect with Katie Button on LinkedIn 🔗
• Visit: Cúrate and La Bodega by Cúrate 🍽️
• 7shifts Restaurant Management Blog 📝

Chapters

• 00:00 - Introduction to Katie Button and Pre-Shift Podcast
• 00:57 - From engineering PhD to award-winning chef (Katie's background story begins)
• 03:52 - The decision to transform restaurant compensation (discussion of sub-minimum wage issues)
• 07:20 - Understanding the front/back of house pay disparity (holiday season example)
• 08:50 - Katie's personal experience with pay differences
• 11:13 - Creating a new compensation model post-shutdown (weighted tip pools explained)
• 14:16 - How the new model affects team morale and culture
• 15:31 - Financial adjustments required to implement higher wages
• 19:34 - Comprehensive benefits package implementation (healthcare, PTO, etc.)
• 21:07 - PTO structure and fairness for new vs. veteran employees
• 22:00 - Transparency in pay and performance expectations (posting tip pool breakdowns)
• 22:48 - Using Seven Shifts software for transparency
• 23:15 - Introduction to La Bodega (second restaurant)
• 24:08 - Closing and contact information

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7shifts is a restaurant platform that helps operators and managers hire, train, schedule, pay and retain their restaurant teams. With an easy-to-use platform and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for over 55,000 restaurants.