Restaurant workers are taking aim at the ‘other NRA’

One Fair Wage members hold a poster outside of the National Restaurant Association’s office in the Loop during a February rally. (Courtesy of Nataki Rhodes / WBEZ)

Ire is spreading among restaurant workers in several cities, including Chicago, about required food and beverage safety training programs that industry insiders say fund anti-minimum-wage lobbying efforts.

The National Restaurant Association operates and administers a food and beverage safety training program by the name of ServSafe. In Illinois, anyone who works in a restaurant or kitchen must complete certification from a program like ServSafe. Costs range from $15 to upwards of $1,000 for those seeking managerial certifications.