The CHAAD project is an organization created by and for hospitality workers in Chicago to advance accountability and end labor abuses within the industry.

Who is CHAAD?

Our Story

The Chicago Hospitality Accountability & Advocacy Database emerged in June 2020. It was initially a spreadsheet designed to keep track of local establishments’ ethical practices. The database was to be used as a tool to find businesses that stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, have multiple employee complaints, which ones have owners who are white supremacists, and more. Though the spreadsheet is now retired, we continue collecting data on the Chicago hospitality industry and using the information as a resource for workers.

Our Values

  • A Delicious Life

    Everyone deserves to have their basic needs met and a joyous existence.

  • Community First

    Our work is for and informed by those who can best imagine the way forward.

  • Growth Focused

    Remain curious and implement new learnings.

  • Radical Minded

    The status quo must be abolished. We aim to live in the future we imagine.

Our Process

We meet regularly via video chat to set goals, delegate projects, and brainstorm new ideas. We are always looking for people to help and get involved. Various skills are welcome, but we are particularly interested in finance, Spanish translation, legal, data entry, website maintenance, social media, and research skills. We work at an agile, gentle pace towards our mission, practicing the work culture we want to see implemented throughout the industry. 

At CHAAD, we are curious about using data and worker experiences to shift culture. What questions can we ask to find solutions to the unique challenges of our industry? We see more opportunities to educate, empower, and uplift as we learn more. We aim to expand our knowledge around what people genuinely need and create content, connections, and resources to support our community.

Meet the team

  • Co-Founder and Director of Communications and Media

    With over 12 years of experience in restaurants as a dishwasher, cook, server, host, and bartender, they weave a working-class experience throughout their work. Raeghn, a Chicago-based storyteller, digital strategist, and community organizer, crafts compelling language that breathes life into powerful experiences and campaigns. They are passionate about advocating for hospitality workers and challenging toxic structures in the industry. Their inspiration comes from diverse perspectives and utilizes the world around them. Follow Raeghn on linkedin.

  • Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships

    For the past 9 years, Molly has worked every front of house position (and some BOH!) in a multitude of hospitality establishments, spanning James Beard Award-winning restaurants to the local dive bar. Her background in sociology and her lived experience as the child of a restaurant worker inform her work as Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at CHAAD, driving grassroots organizing projects and strengthening ties with other organizations invested in bettering the hospitality industry. Outside of her work with CHAAD, Molly is an avid cook, doting cat mom, and quintessential Aries.

    Follow @mollypachay on instagram or linkedin.

  • Creative Director

    Danny has 10 years of design agency experience and previous line cook experience. Now that they are freelance they’re making up for the corporate ick by working only with those challenging the current system. Follow along at @prettybad_danny on instagram or linkedin.

Follow us @thechaadproject

 
Has anyone else experienced retaliation like this? Employers have power over our schedules, budgets, and overall livelihoods. They can make it difficult when setting boundaries at work. We're creating a space for workers to share their experience
Don’t sleep on our upcoming Summer of Solidarity Market + Mutual Aid drive! It will be at @orkenoy from 1-7pm on 5/29. Bring in menstrual products for cook county corrections and baby diapers for newly arrived immigrant families and receive ra
We’re kicking off summer with a solidarity market and mutual aid drive! Together with @survivorsknow , @orkenoy and @coquetel_spirits we will be fundraising for CHAAD + SK project initiatives and @advancingjusticechicago for AAPI month. There
This work is highly emotional. We are expected to be there for every birthday, anniversary, birth, death, breakup, and more but we aren't given half of the grace expected of us. How can this industry show up better for workers? How can we show up bet
We are powerful! It is only through our labor establishments are able to create a profit. #nochef
The undeniable truth of service charges is that without accountability, there is nothing stopping businesses from manipulating funds. The profit comes from YOUR labor.
Ope, sorry! We're breaking down these Midwest social norms and exposing the ugly truths behind them. How does the Midwest Nice show up in restaurants? #midwest
We still have office hour slots open. We've been building out resources and a network to connect workers to the tools they need to create change. Sign up with the link in our bio!
When trans lives are protected, we all are protected! Let's engage in true hospitality and support our trans siblings. #transrights
The issues plaguing hospitality are connected to the erosion of labor protections and other systemic harms. Solidarity for all laborers. And solidarity for all struggles.
In this piece Kourtney describes how toxic masculinity shows up in hospitality nightlife and offers suggedtions for combating it. Check it out on our Patreon!
Supporters of fine dining must decide whether they will wake up to the truth and begin joining workers' efforts to protect themselves from exploration, wage theft, and other abuses that run rampant in these establishments. Part II is up on our Patr