BROOKLINE — Two days after the founder of the local bakery and cafe chain Tatte announced she was stepping down as chief executive, a small group of protesters gathered quietly at the company’s first location, on Beacon Street, to raise awareness of employees’ allegations of racism and mistreatment.
Tzurit Or, who launched Tatte Bakery in 2007 and expanded it to 15 locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline, created a culture that enabled “discriminatory hiring practices and maltreatment of Black and Brown employees in entry-level positions,” current and former employees wrote in an open letter.
Since early June, employees have come forward with public allegations, saying managers had made discriminatory comments about race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and staffers’ physical appearance, and that Or had focused on the “Tatte aesthetic” when making decisions about hiring and promotions.
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Last week, Or denied the allegations of racism and said the public comments have been “devastating” to her personally.
A spokeswoman said the company is taking complaints seriously. So far, its leaders have spoken to 10 percent of the workers, contributed money to three local civil rights organizations, begun a review of policies, and moved to open an anonymous complaint line for employees.
“As a company, we are committed to doing the hard work of evaluating our operations and culture to assure that diversity, equity and inclusion are deeply embedded in everything we do. In that, we are guided by expert consultants in diversity and management,” spokeswoman Diana Pisciotta said.
“Tzurit Or announced several weeks ago that it was her desire to focus her time on her passions of food, bakery, and café design. As a result, the company will add a new CEO focused on day-to-day business management. We thank our employees and our community for standing with us as we do the hard work of listening, learning, evolving and as we move ahead.”
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A protest organizer, Elle E. Marston, said the growing company has more work to do: diversifying its executive board. giving high-level and human resources employees implicit-bias training. instituting pay increases, and making a public commitment to being more equitable.
On Sunday, about 20 protesters stood on the sidewalk outside the cafe, holding signs within view of customers. Part of the purpose, Lani Berkower of Brookline said, was to make people feel some discomfort, enough to have them rethink where they spend their dollars.
People in the service industry should not have to accept poor treatment as a condition of their jobs, said Irene Li, owner of the restaurant Mei Mei, who attended to support the Tatte protest.
“I think the situation here is so nuanced, because yes, Tzurit stepped down, but there are still a lot of demands that have to do with company policy and not with her as an individual,” Li said. “And I think it just highlights how much a lot of diners and customers don’t really know about things like pay structure, or staff meal policy.”
Janelle Nanos of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Gal Tziperman Lotan can be reached at gal.lotan@globe.com or at 617-929-2043.
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As Tatte promises change, protesters demonstrate at a cafe in Brookline - The Boston Globe
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