Our founders, individuals in recovery themselves, firmly believe that we as a society benefit greatly when we invest in those who have lived experiences and obstacles they have overcome. Many of the barriers faced by those in recovery or who are justice-involved relate to employment (or the lack thereof) and finding community-based supports that work. We find that the BEST employees we have ever hired are those with pasts that others may stigmatize or look down upon – overcoming huge life challenges is the hallmark of a resilient person.

We know that everyone has a past and judge our hiring based on who you are today and who you want to be in the future – not who you were. We ask that you are upfront and honest about your past during the interview process, knowing that it will be not be used against you. We will be honest and transparent with all of our potential staff, treating you with the humanity you deserve not the bias of past decisions or actions.

Besides serving great food, we believe investing in people is the best thing we do. We employ those in recovery or who have past justice involvement as a way to develop professional skills (e.g., budgeting, leadership, customer service, time management, problem solving, accountability) to help promote long term success. We pay above what most traditional fast-casual restaurants do as our first investment, so that our staff can focus on learning, growing, and providing amazing service to our customers!

For those we hire, the professional development opportunities we have are a mix of required and optional trainings. The basic program includes monthly trainings on key professional development topics (see above), optional monthly speakers, and opportunities to work with a certified peer recovery specialist to develop a personal recovery plan (not required, but encouraged). For those who want to continue developing their skills, we also offer two training programs – food service management and certified recovery specialist institutes. Staff who have worked at Unity for a minimum of 6-months and completed all required trainings are eligible for scholarships to these programs.

While we prioritize hiring of community members who identify as in recovery or who have past justice involvement, we also often work with and invest in those who have a passion for working to support their communities. We’d love to speak to you if you have such an interest in giving back about working at Unity!