The Asian wood-fired restaurant Noko in Nashville channels 1% of sales each month into a savings account dedicated toward subsidizing staff travel. At the end of the year, each of the restaurant’s 34 workers is eligible to tap into the fund, using a formula based on the number of hours they worked throughout the year. For some, that resulted in up to $2,000 in travel money, said co-owner Jon Murray.
Noko also offers paid vacation (along with many other benefits), so workers not only have some money to travel with, they also don’t have to lose a week’s pay to take time off. Staffers, for example, have been able to travel to places like the Philippines and Portugal. One took a cross-country trip that was fully paid for.
For Murray, it’s not a hiring tactic, but something to allow his staff to rejuvenate, reinvigorate and be inspired by exposure to other cultures, art and food.
“Travel has been part of my journey. This business has given me a good life,” said Murray. “I want to show people they can live a healthy life while working in restaurants.”