Keeping a roof overhead
Attorney Mark Melton joined the conversation on evictions. Ian Reilly covered assistance programs and the path forward for bartenders.
Shift Dallas · 2020
Shift
Dallas
When the dining rooms closed, the conversation stayed open.
The Late Shift with Amanda Vanhoozier · April 13, 2020 · Graphics: Wax on Paper.
Hospitality workers needed answers about income, food, insurance, and housing as dining rooms closed. I co-founded Shift Dallas, built its website and worker survey, and produced and hosted broadcasts that connected people with resources and one another.
First, understand the need
Shift Dallas began by asking workers what they needed. A survey and website helped the team gather information and connect people with resources during the restaurant shutdowns.
What workers told us
581
survey responses
70%
selected “laid off” or “furloughed”
59%
answered “No” to having health insurance
- Laid off213 · 37%
- Furloughed194 · 33%
- Other responses174 · 30%
- No341 · 59%
- Yes181 · 31%
- Other responses59 · 10%
DFW Service Industry: Job & Wage Loss Survey · March 17–July 21, 2020. Counts reflect 581 submitted responses, including 407 selecting laid off or furloughed and 341 reporting no health insurance. Percentages are rounded. This was a voluntary survey, not a representative sample of all DFW workers.
“Other responses” includes all remaining answers, including write-ins. Categories use the original selections without interpreting individual comments.
Serving the service industry
The launch message was direct: serving the service industry. We introduced SHIFT with a website, a worker survey, and an invitation to stay connected.
A collective effort
Alexie Estrada and Leslie Brenner were core collaborators. Contemporary coverage also names Molly Hagler in the leadership team, Brenda Ogershok as research director, and Julien Eelsen and Jeff Bednar among the early participants. The team changed over time; the broadcast guests listed below contributed to the conversations rather than all holding organizing roles.
Keep showing up
The Late Shift With Seth created a recurring place for hospitality workers to hear from one another. Interviews, resource discussions, and public-service messages gave the initiative a voice. In March 2020, D Magazine reported a nightly 8 p.m. Facebook Live schedule.
Who came to the conversation
Restaurant owners, growers, service organizations, and hospitality workers joined the broadcasts. The affiliations below reflect their roles at the time.
Getting food to people
Elias Pope of Everybody Eats and Nick Dean of Furlough Kitchen brought perspectives on feeding the community.
Finding support
Guests included Lucy Huang of WiNGS, Will Salisbury of Heard That Foundation, and Jon Voss of the Machinists Union.
Guests and participating organizations
- Steve DeShazoEl Centro Community College
- Jones LongHost, lesbnb
- Amanda VanhoozierBishop Hill Farm Flowers / Chair of Slow Food DFW
- Jon VossRepresentative, IAMAW (Machinists Union)
- Tim KahleCommunion Cooperative / 400 for 500
- Lucy HuangWiNGS
- Elias Pope80/20 Concepts / Everybody Eats
- George KaihoKa-Tip / Jettison
- Benj PoctaGuest
- Julien EelsenWhisk Crepes Cafe — name as shown in recording
- Will SalisburyHeard That Foundation
- Erasmo CasianoCreate Cooking School
- Ravinder SinghWeekly News Roundup
- Ricky ClevaWeekly News Roundup
- Nick DeanFurlough Kitchen
- Mark MeltonHolland & Knight / Dallas Evictions
Behind the broadcast
The home setup for The Late Shift: lights, backdrop, monitors, and a live panel. April 2020.
An identity for the broadcast
Brittany Gardner of Wax on Paper, a friend of Alexie Estrada’s, donated her time and artwork to Shift. Her graphics gave the project its visual identity. Black, yellow, and my portrait carried the show announcement across landscape and vertical formats. The Shift Dallas mark tied the broadcast back to the wider initiative. I later hired Brittany to collaborate with me on Lenore’s and other projects.
Service is…
The campaign put hospitality work at the center. Donated graphic design and artwork by Wax on Paper.
A message for that moment
A dated public-information graphic from May 14, 2020, preserved here as part of the campaign archive. Artwork: Wax on Paper.
Press
- D Magazine · March 27, 2020
Connects my website and survey work with The Late Shift broadcasts.
- Dallas Observer · March 23, 2020
An interview about workers’ immediate needs and the future of the industry.
- Eater · April 20, 2020
Coverage of Shift Dallas’s worker-protection petition.
- Dallas Evictions · April 5, 2020
An episode record for the conversation with attorney Mark Melton.
Press · Community Impact · Gavin Pugh · March 18, 2020
Dallas-area service industry workers form support network, resource hub for businesses affected by coronavirus ↗Press · D Magazine · March 27, 2020
The Dallas Restaurant Industry May Never Be the Same Again ↗