** Sadly, Exalted Sandwich has had to close down but Jennifer Hayes has asked that we keep the podcast up so that people can learn more about pay inequities in the restaurant world. We agree completely. Please enjoy the podcast, wish Jennifer well (appreciating more than ever that the restaurant business is an extremely difficult one), and learn more about what the essential workers of the restaurant industry get paid. **

During the depths of the pandemic, when life felt so fragile and hope so elusive, Jennifer Hayes was in her home kitchen trying to make dreams come true – not only her own but those of people in the restaurant industry. Like so many people who started businesses while in lockdown, rethinking their paths in life, Hayes began planning her new business, Exalted Sandwich, which functions out of a ghost kitchen in Denver. Beyond serving top notch, interesting, and delicious food, Hayes also set out to disrupt an industry – one that doesn’t pay its employees enough, in the form of a “living wage.”

Having worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry since she was a teen, Hayes has had an insider’s view of the needs for not only excellent food but fair treatment of the people working to provide it. Through her business, she has set about changing that, hoping she’ll be part of a growing trend.

According to the Exalted Sandwich website, “We add a 2% Living Wage Surcharge to every Exalted Sandwich pretax check total. 100% of this money goes directly into the paychecks of Exalted Sandwich’s kitchen staff. Although we pay our employees $20 per hour – which defies industry paltry wage norms – this is still not enough for anyone (other than a single person) to live in the Denver Metro Area. By eating Exalted Sandwich, you make a difference.”

What else is In Good Taste? Listen to our entire podcast series. 

Hayes has also developed the Love IS Now Foundation. Again, according to her website, “When a restaurant industry worker cannot pay their electricity bill after working a 40, 60, or 80 hour week and job insecurity inhibits them from taking time off to care for themselves and their families, something is structurally & systemically wrong. Love IS now Foundation pioneers & implements industry-changing baselines & shatters antiquated industry norms.”

The owner of Exalted Sandwich, in her own words

In our latest podcast episode, the first of Season 2, sponsored by Exalted Sandwich, Jennifer Hayes tells us how and why she started Exalted Sandwich, how she comes up with the menu items that allow so much adaptability, and why it wasn’t enough for her to just make some good food. Click on the player below to listen. The entire series of the In Good Taste Denver blog is also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, and more.

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