It might be the preferred hangover brunch destination for hordes of Capitol Hill interns and teeming with doe-eyed aspirational politics, but Busboys & Poets is a decent place to collect a paycheck, according to a new report by a restaurant industry group.

The study, “Taking the High Road,” is the product of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a nonprofit group that advocates for better working conditions for foodservice employees. Of the restaurants profiled in the report, Andy Shallal’s chain of four restaurants-cum-bookstores-cum-performance venues represents D.C. establishments.

Shallal, the report says, starts his dishwashers off at $9.25 per hour. This is actually a few cents below the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ mean wage for the position in the Washington area. BLS reported the mean wage for dishwashers here to be $9.69 in May 2010, though Busboys dishwashers get a $1 raise after 90 days, the restaurant workers’ study said.

Still, Busboys & Poets’ wage and benefit packages are described as “exceptional” in the report, particularly when it comes to time off, health insurance and matching 401(k) contributions.

The most visible tradeoff for higher payroll costs is, of course, menu prices. Shallal explains in the report:

“I’ve had people come to me and say, ‘This is expensive. $10 for a burger? Shit!’ I said, ‘Well, if I’m paying health care benefits, sick leave, vacation, above minimum wage, and I’m getting a good product from grass fed organic beef, I can’t sell it for five dollars and stay in business. … We even put up a chart one time of “where does your dollar go?” so customers could see.”

Fair enough. Restaurant pay, even when its good for the industry, still isn’t that great. And you never know when you’re going to get an evil customer. Still, glad to know those Busboys & Poets dishes beloved by hordes of Hill staffers are funding a good cause:

Full report below. The segment on Busboys & Poets begins on page 42.
ROCGuide Report F4