Black Pearl Cafe in Palmerston North slammed for sexist sign

Black Pearl cafe has been called on to remove the sign. Photo / Chloe Ann-King

A cafe in Palmerston North is facing criticism for a footpath sign telling prospective customers that there is a "cute waitress on duty".

Black Pearl Cafe has been accused of perpetuating a sexist culture within the hospitality industry and there has been a call for locals to boycott the business.

A photo of the sign was posted to Twitter by Chloe Ann-King of the Raise The Bar Hospitality Union, with the caption: "Sexism is alive and well in the NZ hospo industry. Feel free to boycott Black Pearl in Palmerston North."

In a comment on their Facebook page, Raise The Bar asked people to consider the effect the sign could have on staff.

"Imagine being the waitress at this venue with a sign like this directing people inside to objectify a 'cute waitress'," they wrote.

"We are sure the employer thinks this sign is just a bit of a laugh But the thing is sexual harassment and sexism in our industry is epidemic."

A staff member at Black Pearl told the Herald today that the sign was not new and had been outside the cafe for some time.

Ann-King told the Herald that the sign was reflective of a wider issue in the industry and advised the owner to remove it.

She said that, even in a post #MeToo world, the hospitality industry was still home to "deeply-held" sexism.

"It's women on the floor, so we're the ones doing all of the intense emotional labour of serving people and doing full table service," she said, adding that men often worked behind the bar which offered a level of protection from physical harassment.

Ann-King recalled being sexualised by an employer when she began working in hospitality and asked to wear red lipstick and a low-cut top, a trend she said continued throughout her 16-year career.

She said that employers confronted over the issue often took the stance that their approach was part-and-parcel of working in hospitality and said it was hard for women to raise the issue with their bosses, as they could put themselves at risk by pushing back.

"When you raise concerns with your employer, it's very likely retaliatory action is going to happen. So that can be cut shifts, even being fired, bullying can really start to creep in".

Sexism is alive and well in the NZ hospo industry. Feel free to boycott Black Pearl in Palmerston North: #TimesUp #NZHospo pic.twitter.com/dqwRYBrhid

— Chloe Ann-King (@GGrucilla) November 14, 2021

Ann-King had a simple message for Black Pearl's owner: "Take the sign down, please, it's not necessary."

"I'm sure they thought it was just a joke but we know those types of jokes feed into sexual harassment and it feeds into wider rape culture as well."

She invited any staff at Black Pearl to reach out to the Raise The Bar union if they felt uncomfortable and offered them support.

This isn't the first time that Black Pearl Cafe has faced scrutiny.

In 2019 the cafe came under fire for a sign that advertised for workers between the ages of 18 and 27.

At the time, owner Paul Eak Leang told Stuff he didn't care that it was illegal to discriminate by age and said he advertised for younger staff because they "work with us the best".

The Herald has approached the cafe's owner for comment.