Since we published a case study on Eastcut Sandwich Bar in 2021, the owners have utilized Family Forward NC® resources, continued to expand upon their family-friendly policies and recently became a Family Forward NC® Certified Employer. See the update at the end to learn more about their current offerings and approach to supporting employees and cultivating a family-friendly workplace.
Eastcut Sandwich Bar started as the brainchild of two guys from New York. Brad Bankos and Steve Wuench bring the art of the delicatessen sandwich to Durham in a comfortable and approachable way, and that welcoming, family-friendly environment extends to their employees, as well.
Their mission clearly states they are a “people business” with a focus on offering fair pay, a safe and comfortable work environment, and fostering development and growth.
These values are what led Bankos and Wuench to implement more family-friendly practices like accrued paid time off and maternity packages in an industry where both practices aren’t as prevalent. Less than half of food service workers have paid sick leave, and only 20 percent of all workers have access to paid family leave.
Beyond following their values, Bankos and Wuench both say adding family-friendly practices has led to better business outcomes, too. Turnover has gone down, and employees feel cared for, which fosters loyalty and boosts morale.
“We feel like morale at Eastcut has improved over the course of time as we’ve iterated on these family friendly practices,” says Bankos.
These iterations are based on conversations and feedback from their current staff and what would help them. That’s how they began to form a maternity package.
When Eastcut’s Front of House Manager Tricia Buzzelli became pregnant during the COVID pandemic, Bankos and Wuench started talking with Buzzelli about her needs and how they could accommodate her as an expectant mother. “They wanted to support me through my pregnancy and wanted me back after,” says Buzzelli.
This kind of support is invaluable to her. As she puts it, “I could go find another job, but I wouldn’t find people who care about me and want me to be successful as a working mom as much as they do.”
Bankos and Wuench eventually offered Buzzelli two weeks (80 hours) of pay at $15.00 an hour – unprecedented in the restaurant industry. “It was only a couple weeks,” says Wuench, “but we thought it was the right thing to do. I think it’s part of a broader theme of what we want to accomplish in 2021.”
As Bankos and Wuench look forward, they have altered their paid time off policy and are figuring out how to incorporate health care into their benefits suite. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they knew they had to provide a way for all of their employees to take the time they needed to care for themselves and their families. They extended their paid time off accrual benefit to all employees – part-time and full-time. “When we announced this broader initiative,” says Wuench, “we received a lot of positive feedback.”
Beyond what Bankos and Wuench call their “human reasons” for making these changes, the owners of Eastcut have also seen economic benefits to implementing family friendly policies. “We’ve seen clear results,” says Bankos, “Our turnover data has really gone in the right direction, and we’ve been able to attract stronger, more motivated and stable talent.”
“When I go to work,” says Buzzelli, “everyone’s happy. Everyone supports everyone. And that comes from the top down.”
This kind of environment had made all the difference for Eastcut employees. “Sometimes you can feel like a slave to the industry,” says Buzzelli, “But if restaurants widely adopted family friendly practices like maternity leave, health insurance, and paid time off, I think people would feel valued and thanked.”
A 2025 Update
In the past four years, Eastcut now has locations in Durham and Raleigh with 50 employees. The owners have continued to make strides in offering their employees a range of benefits that are rare in the restaurant industry. All of their policy decisions have been made based on continuous feedback and conversations with their team, leading to higher levels of employee satisfaction as well as economic benefits for the business.
Flexible and predictable scheduling is one of the most important benefits for hourly employees with young children. Eastcut makes every effort to accommodate employee’s requests in order to help everyone achieve a better work-life balance. This means everything from scheduling around regular school commitments, to balancing temporary requests, to being flexible on arrival times when necessary. Furthermore, after feedback from full-time employees, Eastcut is now closed on Mondays, so that everyone can operate on a five-day work week and have a couple of guaranteed days off each week.
Additionally, their paid parental leave policy is now six weeks at 100% pay for both part-time and full-time employees. Employees have been very happy to have this benefit during such a critical time in their lives. And although the business is taking on a level of risk, Wuench explained, “It has overall been a very positive experience as the employer, and we just see it as the cost of talent management.”
Eastcut has also expanded their Paid Time Off benefit for all employees and have added an additional eight hours of paid volunteer time. They have also moved to a weekly payroll system, understanding that many employees – especially hourly employees – cannot afford to wait two or more weeks for a paycheck. After conversations with staff, they have also begun to offer a $150 health insurance reimbursement for all full-time employees.
“This is a constant evolution,” said Wuench, explaining that at Eastcut, the employees always come first. “If you want to attract talent you need to stand out, and we believe we do that with a mix of lifestyle and other perks.”
Sample Benefits
- Flexible and Predictable Scheduling*
- Paid Time Off*
- Paid Parental Leave*
- Weekly direct deposit*
- Healthcare Reimbursement Program*
- Competitive living wage, with potential for performance bonuses
- Employee dining program
- Ongoing training in restaurant management and financials
*Indicates benefits that have been added or expanded since 2021.