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By Matt Acuña Buxton
The Alaska Current, Sep 25, 2024

In the years since the pandemic, we’ve seen story after story about worker shortages that are filled with employers complaining that nobody wants to work anymore. The question that comes to mind — which isn’t always asked — is, “Well, are you paying them enough?”

At Waffles and Whatnot — a beloved East Anchorage restaurant serving up waffles, fried chicken and more — you won’t find any complaints about worker shortages or worker turnover. There, owner Derrick Green prides himself on taking care of his employees, highlighted by the fact that he hasn’t had any turnover in two years.

 “COVID taught me that taking care of the people was the most important thing, making sure that they’re not worried if they get sick … or making sure that they can make the payments for their mortgage and utilities and all that stuff without issue,” he said in an interview with The Alaska Current on a rainy Thursday morning. “I get the best performance from these guys.”

Waffles and Whatnot is among a coalition of Alaska businesses, Alaska Businesses for Better Jobs, publicly backing Ballot Measure 1 in this year’s general election. ...

As a steady stream of customers filtered into the restaurant, a small crew of Waffles and Whatnot employees took, prepared and delivered orders of decadent sweet waffles and mouth-watering savory combinations in a friendly and inviting atmosphere. Green grinned with pride throughout, noting that he rarely had to worry about the restaurant while he was away and that employees frequently took the initiative to fix things independently. ...

Along with paying employees a living wage and providing sick time, every employee is either a part owner or on an ownership track. He said he does that so everyone can share the business’ success. ...

Green said his treatment of his workers and his support of Ballot Measure 1 are rooted in his desire to help uplift people in his community and his experience growing up in poverty. “I remember my mom working three jobs" ... He recalled that his mother struggled to pay the bills despite working long, hard hours, and they would rotate between which bills were paid each month, keeping a drawer of candles for when the electricity bill went unpaid. ...

Paying a living wage, he said, gives people stability. ... “That living wage is just to be able to say, ‘Hey, you can take care of yourself, you can afford a sitter, you can afford to put gas in your car. You don’t have to decide whether you can only eat one meal a day or two meals a day, or things like that.” ...

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