Behind every meal served in America’s restaurants is a workforce of women, immigrants, and small business owners whose livelihoods are directly shaped by public policy. This issue was put front and center on September 16, when chefs, restaurateurs, food industry leaders, and lawmakers came together for the annual MAPP Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill, held in partnership with the National Partnership for Women & Families.
This year’s programming started off with a roundtable hosted by the Future Forum Caucus co-chair and paid leave champion Rep. Brittany Pettersen, and culminated in a lively evening reception featuring key leaders in the hospitality industry at the Washington Marriott Capitol Hill. Both events were about more than food and wine – they were about shaping policies that affect the people who make up one of the country’s most vibrant, diverse, and essential industries: hospitality. We heard from chefs and entrepreneurs about the impacts that a lack of paid leave, affordable and accessible child care, and small business supports have on their businesses, and how current immigration policies are deeply hurting their workforce. The speakers all underscored the stakes for women, immigrants, and small businesses that fuel the industry.
The Hospitality Industry at the Heart of Community and Economy
Restaurants are more than businesses. They are neighborhood gathering places, cultural institutions, and sources of livelihood for nearly 12 million people nationwide. Women make up more than half of this workforce, including 70% of servers. More than a third of these women are mothers, and of those, more than half are single moms.
Among women-owned firms, accommodation and food services is the second largest industry after health care. Yet despite their contributions, women in this sector face steep barriers, from wage inequality and pregnancy discrimination to sexual harassment and the absence of paid leave.
What Industry Leaders Had to Say
This year’s programming captured both the promise and the pressures of working in hospitality and featured MAPP founder Joanna James, Chef JJ Johnson, restaurateur Hollis Wells Silverman, Chef Paola Velez, Chef Isabel Coss, Chef Johanna Hellrigl, and Chef Radelle Reese.
Hollis noted that while flexibility is the industry’s strength, working hours rarely line up with traditional child care options and tax credits and business support available to larger companies often don’t apply to small businesses. Chef JJ Johnson spoke about restaurants as anchors in communities facing high unemployment, raising questions about how workers, especially young mothers, can thrive without access to paid leave.
Johanna Hellrigl shared her journey as a chef, mother, and business owner who pays 100% of her staff’s health insurance, reminding us that hospitality workers are the last to take care of themselves despite caring for everyone else. Chef Paola Velez emphasized the need to break down barriers to entry for programs, connecting her advocacy to both immigrant rights and initiatives like Bakers Against Racism. Chef Radelle Reese highlighted the role of education and farming in building the next generation of hospitality leaders: “Greater happens here, greater grows here.”
Adding to these perspectives, Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, emphasized the national stakes: “Every person should be able to care for their loved ones without the concern of losing their job.” She concluded with a clear call to action: “It is long past time for Congress to pass a national paid leave law, and I look forward to being there on that day.”
These stories underscored a central theme: restaurants don’t just serve food. They sustain families, neighborhoods, and local economies. To do that well, they need systems like paid leave and accessible support that match the realities of the industry.
The Case for Paid Leave
The numbers speak for themselves.
- 70% of food service establishments are excluded from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 2023, leaving millions without even unpaid protections.
- The U.S. remains the only OECD country without a national paid leave policy, lagging far behind the rest of the world.
- The pay gap costs women $1.9 trillion annually, while unpaid caregiving – two-thirds of it done by women – is valued at more than $1.1 trillion.
One major life event – a new baby, a sudden illness, or a family emergency – can unravel financial security for restaurant workers. But research shows that with family policies like paid leave, we’d see five million more women in the workforce. Further, nearly 8 in 10 small business owners support a national paid leave policy.
Voices from the Hill
At the Future Forum Caucus roundtable, Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), and Seth Magaziner (RI-02) emphasized that investing in caregiving means investing in the economy. Their remarks highlighted how paid leave and family support policies are essential for equity and the success of small businesses across the country.
Representative McBride reminded the audience that “we have to push back on the notion that a nationwide, universal paid family medical leave program is somehow a burden. The reality is that it’s not only a lifeline for workers, it’s a lifeline for businesses.”
Echoing the importance of practical follow-through, Representative Magaziner added that “making the government work for small businesses is not just about big ideas, it’s about execution.”
“We have to push back on the notion that a nationwide, universal paid family medical leave program is somehow a burden. The reality is that it’s not only a lifeline for workers, it’s a lifeline for businesses.” – Representative Sarah McBride (DE-AL)
“Making the government work for small businesses is not just about big ideas, it’s about execution.” – Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)
Moving Forward Together
The conversation also touched on the challenges ahead. The recent budget passed by Republicans in Congress and signed into law by President Trump will cut Medicaid benefits and hit hospitality workers who are already among the lowest paid and least likely to have savings or retirement security especially hard. This only further underscores the urgency of creating comprehensive supports like paid leave.
The day concluded with an evening reception of appetizers and wine, a fitting reminder of what the hospitality industry is all about: community, connection, and care.
Why It Matters
If we truly want to honor the people who feed us – women, immigrants, and small business owners – we must fight for policies that let them thrive. Paid leave is not just a benefit. It’s a foundation for stability, equity, and economic growth.
As MAPP Founder Joanna James reminded lawmakers, independent restaurants operate on “pure passion and grit,” with rising costs and slim margins making it impossible to absorb new responsibilities alone. Policies like paid leave would not only provide stability for workers, but also level the playing field for small businesses that cannot access the same capital as large corporations. The 2025 Advocacy Summit showed what’s possible when chefs and lawmakers sit at the same table. Now it’s time to translate that momentum into action.
