Editor's note: This is the testimony of Barbara Sibley for the Restaurant Opportunities Center's Congressional briefing on the WAGES Act, with Rep. Donna Edwards (MD) in attendance.

Barbara Sibley, owner of La Palapa:

Good Morning Congresswoman Edwards, Congressional Staff, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen

I was born and raised in Mexico City. For many years I collected traditional, rare and ancient Mexican recipes. My interest in indigenous cuisines and cultures was deepened by my studies in Anthropology at Barnard College.

My New York restaurant career began at age 17 as a dishwasher at the Columbia University student run café. Since then I have worked in all facets of the restaurant business. I have been a coat check girl, a waitress, a hostess, a bartender, a cook, a chef, a manager and a General Manager.

My extensive experience led me to open La Palapa Cocina Mexicana in 2000 as a truly authentic Mexican restaurant, La Palapa has been awarded the “Disctinctivo” by the Sabores Autenticos de Mexico Foundation.

In all these years I have never forgotten my roots. I have never forgotten what it is like to start at the bottom. Because of this community service is very important to me.

I am a member of the Women Chef and Restaurateurs and Vice President of the NY Women’s Culinary Alliance. La Palapa has been given the “High Road” award for my labor practices by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York. I have lectured on Women Entrepreneurs at the Culinary Institute of America, received awards from SCORE, the SBA, SBDC and a Local Hero Award for my support of Community Theater. I have worked to raise funds for the GO Project, SHARE for Breast Cancer Survivors and the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families.

On September 11, 2001 after watching the Twin Towers collapse from my bedroom window I went downstairs and opened the doors of La Palapa. Men and women walked by like ghosts covered in the white dust of the Towers. They knocked on my doors needing water, a land line to call home and food to eat. On that day and the days and weeks that followed I fed the first responders, the fire and police men and women of my community. I raised funds for Windows of Hope to benefit the families of those lost in the tragedy. The only answer to such a horrific act was to stand up and take care of the community.

Restaurants are about community. They are about looking out for one another. Young and old, rich and poor, men and women alike.

As I think back on my growth in the restaurant industry I realize that there are real reasons why I promote women to management positions, pay them the same as men and discourage sexual harassment in the work place. Being an owner is a position of responsibility. For how can my guests feel taken care of if my server, manager or cook is being mistreated?
Yes, at La Palapa I pay $5 an hour to tipped workers, I provide paid sick days and belong to a health care cooperative that provides preventive care to my staff. Why? Because I think it’s important for workers to be able to afford to live and eat, and to take a day off when they’re sick. I feel that it is my duty to take care of my staff. I reward their loyalty with my loyalty, and nurture their dreams as well as my own.
What has this created? I have a staff that I can trust and count on. I have very low turnover and training costs. Among my wait staff at La Palapa are servers who have been there since I opened eleven years ago. One started as a busboy and is now a manager. My Chef started as a night porter 24 years ago –and we have worked together ever since.
All of this makes a better experience for my guests – when they come in for dinner a familiar face greets them. My staff knows our menu inside out. They share my commitment to the success of our restaurant. They are caring and helpful.
When workers are treated well – when women can afford to support themselves and their families – you get better food and better service.

That means better profits for me, and secure jobs for my employees.

Let’s face it, restaurant work is hard work. Running a restaurant well is very hard work.

But, running a restaurant right is profitable.

Thank you.