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Philly women restaurateurs are becoming more prominent every year, but are still underrepresented in the city’s buzzing food scene — especially at positions of power. That dynamic plays out across the globe, where women represent somewhere around a fifth of all chefs and less than 10 percent of head chefs.
A new initiative from GrubHub makes it easier to actively support small, less-recognized, women-run restaurants, and raises money to help even the playing field along the way.
Drawing off its giant database, and relying on both company research and user-submitted information, the delivery service giant created an interactive map of take-out food spots with females in charge. Called RestaurantHER, the collection includes places either fully owned or co-owned by women, or helmed by a woman head chef or executive chef.
View the map centered on Philadelphia, and more than 100 placemarks immediately pop up — likely including several locales you might not have realized were women-owned or led.
Everything from taquerias like South Philly’s El Sabor Poblano to Korean BBQ places like Chinatown’s Tsaocaa & BBQ Chicken is on the list. There’s hip gastropubs like The Cambridge on South Street West and old-school outfits like Anastasi Seafood.
The compilation isn’t complete, nor does it claim to be — an easy form lets you submit another restaurant for inclusion, so the resource should be always growing.
To its credit, although the move is obviously providing the company with good brand recognition, GrubHub is not using the map as a way to funnel people to one of its delivery apps. Click on a listing and you get a simple, clean address so you can decide to visit in person or order from wherever you please.
Another reason for kudos: For every person that pledges to dining at a woman-led restaurant during the month of March, GrubHub will contribute $1 toward the cause, up to $1 million total.
The first $100,000 will be contributed to the 25-year-old advocacy and networking nonprofit Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.
“Taking the pledge” turns out to be extremely simple — just click on a bright red button. And considering how many great restaurants are on the Philly map, backing up the gesture with delicious food should be just as easy.