As diners showed up for their $1,500 Noma reservations on Wednesday in Silver Lake, they were met by a protest from more than a dozen workers with the labor rights group One Fair Wage.
The demonstration was organized in response to Noma co-owner and chef René Redzepi’s history of physical violence, verbal abuse, and labor exploitation of workers, which was highlighted in an exposè published by The New York Times last Friday.
The Noma pop-up that opened yesterday had already drawn criticism from Angelenos, who scoffed at its prohibitive price tag in a city struggling with an outrageous cost of living.
Jason Ignacio White, Redzepi’s former director of fermentation, who has come out against Noma’s abusive workplace culture, read an open letter demanding accountability.
“Dear Mr. Redzepi,” White read. “We are employees of Noma who write to you together with our attorneys and representatives at One Fair Wage to demand both the settlement of legal claims, immediate reparation for multiple harms, and changes in the company’s management and employee policies.”
The demand letter signed by former Noma workers and organizers urged Redzepi to completely step down from all business associations with Noma.
Sarumathi “Saru” Jayaraman, president and founder of One Fair Wage, took to the mic to call out the restaurant industry’s “system of abuse.”
She told members of the press, “This is not the exception. [Redzepi’s] not a ‘bad apple.’ This is the rule.”
One Fair Wage, which organized the demonstration, also championed a $30 livable minimum wage for all of Los Angeles’ food industry workers.
Chef Uyên Lê, the owner of the Vietnamese street food restaurant Bé Ù in Silver Lake, spoke alongside organizers to advocate for an improvement in local industry wages and safety standards.
“Many in our community are living day to day, paycheck to paycheck,” Lê said.
Since the news broke, several sponsors have either severed or scaled back their ties with Noma, including American Express, Cadillac, and Blackbird. A handful of reservation slots, for what was once a completely booked pop-up through the end of June, also appear to have opened up.
On Wednesday evening, hours after the protest, Redzepi posted to his personal Instagram that he was stepping away from Noma. It’s unclear if his departure will be permanent or if he plans to sever financial ties with the company completely.
One Fair Wage told members of the press that they plan to demonstrate daily for as long as necessary and even hinted at a possible lawsuit if all of their demands aren’t met.
