At ezCater, we’re committed to building a marketplace that reflects the diversity of our community, customers, and catering partners. We’re excited to expand our Supplier Diversity Program to help amplify restaurants owned by a member of an underrepresented group.
Many of ezCater’s customers want to align spend with personal values or organizational goals. Starting in 2021, we have asked our catering partners to voluntarily supply demographic information. Since then, we’ve expanded our data collection capabilities, including embedding it into our ezManage platform so our catering partners can more easily access it. We also have clearer and more transparent definitions and included an attestation for catering partners to ensure the most accurate information possible.
What is a supplier diversity program?
Supplier diversity programs are intended to diversify an organization’s supply chain by ensuring adequate representation and support for businesses owned by a member of an underrepresented group.
Many ezCater customers have supplier diversity goals to allocate a portion of their spend to small business or restaurants owned by a member of an underrepresented group. ezCater seeks to support them by striving to create a diverse network where restaurants can be easily found.
To do so, ezCater currently highlights underrepresented groups in a featured section at the top of a search results page in alignment with Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Pride Month. We are planning to expand this effort to include additional heritage months.
ezCater is also building filters and creating restaurant descriptions that allow customers to easily search for, and find, small businesses and restaurants owned by members of underrepresented groups. We are aiming to start launching these enhanced capabilities by the end of 2023.
How does ezCater define underrepresented groups?
ezCater’s Supplier Diversity program recognizes catering partner owners who identify as a:
- Member of an underrepresented racial or ethnic group:
- Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander
- Black or of African descent
- Hispanic, Latine, or Spanish
- Indigenous, American Indian, or Alaska Native
- Middle Eastern or North African
- Woman
- US veterans and disabled veterans
- Person with disabilities
- Member of the LGBTQ+ community
How does ezCater define small businesses?
We are adhering to the Small Business Administration definition for restaurants as having less than $13.5 million in revenue.
How does ezCater define restaurant ownership?
Restaurant ownership is defined as the person(s) with at least 50% ownership of the independent business, franchise, or corporation.
In previous outreach efforts, we did not require a minimum ownership stake by a member of an underrepresented group to be included in our program. We have since defined this as a minimum of 50% ownership to be more in line with standard supplier diversity best practices and customer requirements. We will stop using data that does not meet these new standards by the end of 2023.
How do catering partners enter their demographic data?
Catering partners can enter demographic data about the majority owner(s) of their business in the Business Demographic Profile section under Account Settings in ezManage.
How will demographic data be used?
ezCater will use the data internally to assess the equity and representation on our platform.
For restaurants that are owned by members of an underrepresented group and that provide consent to use their data publicly, they are eligible to be included in search results when using demographic filters, have demographic information be added to their menu page, and be featured in carousels that align with heritage months throughout the year.
What if two people own a restaurant?
If there are two restaurant owners that each own 50%, restaurants should answer on behalf of both owners and select all the demographic options that apply.
Will demographic information be publicly available?
Only catering partners who are members of an underrepresented group that provide consent to sharing their information will be included in filters and marketing efforts.
What if restaurants are not comfortable sharing their information publicly?
ezCater encourages catering partners to still provide demographic data on behalf of their owner(s) and then abstain from checking the box when asked, “I consent to ezCater sharing this information externally on its platform and in marketing efforts.” Providing demographic data, even if not shared publicly, allows ezCater to have a better understanding of our network. However, ezCater respects our catering partners' choices about whether or not to disclose data.
Will businesses be negatively impacted if they don’t fall into an underrepresented group?
No group will ever have any of the demographic information they provide used against them. ezCater will also respect requests to keep demographic information confidential.
How can customers get more visibility into how much they spend with underrepresented groups?
ezCater is currently building reporting capabilities that will provide this to customers. Interested customers should contact their account manager or ezCater Customer Service for more information.
How accurate is restaurant demographic information?
Catering partners provide demographic data through ezManage, confirm the accuracy of their responses, and accept responsibility for keeping their information updated. ezCater does not verify the responses, nor do we require certification such as Minority Business Enterprise or Woman Business Enterprise. This is intended to not place an undue burden on restaurants that may have limited resources. ezCater provides clear descriptions and guidance while collecting information to ensure respondents are able to easily provide accurate information.
Our previous email surveys did not require attestation or define a minimum percentage of ownership. We have since evolved the way we collect data to be more in line with supplier diversity best practices and customer requirements, so this survey data will no longer be used after 2023.
What else is ezCater doing to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?
At ezCater, one of our cultural tenets is to drive diversity, ensure equity, and ingrain inclusion. This represents our commitment to building an employee population and marketplace that reflect the diversity of our community. We strive to create an environment where everyone can be themselves, is given equitable opportunities to succeed, knows the importance of their contributions, and feel like they matter and are accepted here.
ezCater has a goal of 33% representation from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups among our employees and aims for 100% employee participation in unconscious bias training. ezCater also collects and tracks data on employee pay, promotions, support, and opportunities to succeed to affirm equity across all demographics.
ezCater also strives for diversity, equity, and inclusion among our network of over 100,000 catering partners. We have established community standards outlining our expectations for respect within the ezCater ecosystem.
Who do I contact with questions or concerns about this program or if I notice an error?
Please email our Partner Success team at partnersuccess@ezcater.com and we would be happy to assist you.