Aerial view of a busy joint. Credit: The Creative Exchange on Unsplash.

US-based company OpenTable has launched Open Kitchen, a new initiative to raise awareness for gender equality and inclusion in the restaurant industry.

For the campaign, prominent restaurant owners, general managers and chefs have partnered with the online restaurant-reservation company to issue a public service announcement promoting professionalism, inclusiveness and equality.

The campaign also seeks to remove exclusionary, abusive culture and create a safe working culture in the restaurant industry.

OpenTable CEO Christa Quarles said: “No matter who you are or your role in a restaurant, whether you work in the kitchen or front of house, everyone deserves a safe seat at the table.

“No matter who you are or your role in a restaurant, everyone deserves a safe seat at the table.”

“It’s on all of us – chefs, managers, restaurateurs, leaders, and more – to call out and stamp out inappropriate behaviour and hold offending parties accountable. Together, we can bring about real change to ensure a positive and safe work environment for all.”

The chefs and restaurateurs who have committed to Open Kitchens in their restaurants include Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland), Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill, LA), Edward Lee (Succotash, DC), and Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza (State Bird Provisions, SF).

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A ‘pledge poster’ has also been released for display in the restaurant to highlight the service commitment to ensure everyone has a ‘safe seat at the table’.

OpenTable has seated more than 1.5 billion diners via online reservations globally. It seats more than 25 million diners per month via online reservations across more than 45,000 restaurants.