Ann Arbor restaurant owner judges employees on 2 things

ANN ARBOR — When someone with a criminal record interviews for a job at one of Phillis Engelbert’s three restaurants, she doesn’t ask about their convictions.

She doesn’t run a background check.

She doesn’t care about the worst thing they’ve done.

What matters to Engelbert is how a prospective employee will treat their coworkers and customers. She wants to know how they handle stress. She cares about what makes them tick.

Second chances and inclusion are part of the ethos of Engelbert’s Ann Arbor restaurants, known for their vegan comfort food and plant-based fare — Detroit Street Filling Station, The Lunch Room Diner & Canteen, and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe.

“I don’t want them to be defined in this setting by what they did long ago," she said. "I want to get to know them as a person. I tell them at the interview the only two things that you will be judged on while you’re here is your work ethic and how well you treat others."

About 70 people work at the three restaurants, and Engelbert estimates that half of them have served time behind bars, ranging from stints in juvenile detention centers or jail to several decades in prison.

Supporting employees’ rehabilitation is a priority, too. Engelbert has employed more than 120 people in recovery from addiction since 2014, one year after she and then-business partner Joel Panozzo opened The Lunch Room as their first brick-and-mortar location in the city’s eclectic Kerrytown district.

Engelbert, 55, acknowledges that her hiring philosophy doesn't come without its challenges. Some employees with felony records can't find housing despite the reliable job. Others who've walked through Engelbert's doors have struggled with psychological problems too severe for her to handle without outside support.

“I’m not under any rosy illusion that things are gonna be great. It’s kind of a crapshoot, but it’s worth a chance,” she said.

'She welcomes you'

Malachi Muhammad says Engelbert was the first person to take a chance on him after prison. He's a former juvenile lifer who served 29 years behind bars before he was re-sentenced and released in November.

A few years ago, one of his attorneys sought assistance from the Youth Justice Fund, a nonprofit Engelbert co-founded in 2017 that helps people incarcerated as youth reenter the community in southeast Michigan. Before even meeting Muhammad, Engelbert wrote two letters to the parole board on his behalf, saying he'd have a job when he got out.

Engelbert says she's written countless letters for her employees. There have been letters explaining to a judge why someone should get their driver's license back. Letters recommending that people get off probation. Letters recommending that someone get custody of their children. Letters of recommendation for college. Letters for scholarships.

Now Muhammad, a 46-year-old Ann Arbor resident whose legal name is Willie Servant, works as a dishwasher at The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe in the Huron Towers Apartments.

When he interviewed for the job in December, Engelbert didn't ask him about the murder conviction that sent him to prison at age 17. Her main concern was how he'd handle working for women. It's a dynamic she's cognizant of when hiring individuals who haven't had much interaction with people outside of the confines of prison.

Muhammad's managers at the bakery say he's doing well, Engelbert said.

“They really like him," she said. “He’s very gentle. He’s very helpful.”

Muhammad said his bosses are flexible when he needs to miss work to report to his parole agent twice a month.

“You’ve got people who want to help people when they come out of prison but they keep them at a distance," Muhammad said, referencing people who are hesitant to trust individuals convicted of violent crimes. But he said Engelbert is different. "She welcomes you."

More: 18 ways Michigan could change its criminal justice process

More: Treasure Mart, an Ann Arbor staple for 60 years, is up for sale

Starting pay at the restaurants comes to about $14 or $15 an hour. Employees are offered health and dental benefits, an insurance plan, money toward a monthly fitness membership and bus passes, if needed.

Safe place for recovery

David Seaman began working for Engelbert as a dishwasher while he was in treatment for addiction about three years ago. He's worked his way up to front of house manager at Detroit Street Filling Station in Kerrytown.

He moved to the area from Oakland County after cycling in and out of jail on charges of operating while intoxicated. He entered treatment in Ann Arbor after he relapsed and wound up homeless, "well aware that prison was a possibility."

Seaman, 27, said he felt safe at his restaurant job during a vulnerable time in his life. There, he found people with similar experiences, a community he'd only before encountered in treatment or jail.

"There’s nothing quite like what we have here," he said.

Engelbert said her hiring approach works because everyone is held to the same standards.

She's willing to lend extra support, such as a listening ear or an advance on a paycheck. She's even invited employees to live with her for short periods of time after finding out that they were sleeping on a park bench or in their car.

As a former community organizer, she would encourage other employers to look beyond an applicant's background when hiring. But she cautions that business owners need to "make informed decisions about it." She thinks that offering a job but no other resources to formerly incarcerated people basically sets them up to fail.

"I’ve seen where the gaps are," she said. "I’ve seen when things start to fall apart."

'Rich with experience'

On a recent weeknight, guests filled the small lounge of the Detroit Street Filling Station and snacked on plates of buffalo cauliflower wings, nachos and tater tots.

About 20 people were there for an event hosted by the Youth Justice Fund, and at least half of the attendees were formerly incarcerated. A few had worked for Engelbert.

Among them was Cozine Welch, 39, an Ann Arbor resident and executive director of the Washtenaw County reentry and mentoring program A Brighter Way. He credits Engelbert with giving him his first job in 2017 after nearly 20 years incarcerated for second-degree murder.

When Engelbert had to let Welch go while her business was going through a transition, she helped him line up a job elsewhere.

Speaking to the intimate crowd, Welch said Engelbert's care for her employees goes beyond "what the normal is." He sends people her way when they're looking for a job after prison.

Engelbert squirmed a little at the attention. She told the group that their backgrounds make them "rich with experience." People who've been through incarceration or addiction bring a level of humility and gratefulness not seen in others, she said.

“I would always cast my lot with you guys before I cast my lot with the privileged," she told the crowd. "Always. Every day."

Angie Jackson covers the challenges of formerly incarcerated citizens as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, with support from the Hudson-Webber Foundation. Click here to support her work. Contact Angie: ajackson@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow her on Twitter: @AngieJackson23