“There are some places that do things for their employees that are just amazing, and we think customers here will want to know that,” she said.

The Madison guide will be loosely patterned after one published by Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a New York nonprofit that rated 150 national restaurants on wages, benefits and promotional practices. That guide can be found at rocunited.org.

Locally, information is being gathered in a variety of ways, said Patrick Hickey, director of the Workers’ Rights Center.

Volunteers began handing out surveys on State Street in mid-March to people currently or previously employed at Downtown Madison restaurants. By this fall, the two organizations expect to have surveyed more than 1,000 workers.

Restaurant owners are being sent surveys, too, and they will have a chance to view the final data before publication, Hickey said.

Hickey said the guide will stick to facts. For instance, does the restaurant provide health insurance, paid vacation time and opportunities for advancement? Public records will be incorporated, such as wage and discrimination complaints filed with government agencies. Lawyers will make sure the guide doesn’t become a platform for bitter or fired ex-employees, he said.