Levy Restaurant Group
Over the past several years, Levy has made hiring people with I/DD a priority and has made disability inclusion a key hiring initiative at new locations. Levy is recognized as one of the fastest growing and most critically acclaimed hospitality companies in the world, defining the premium sports and entertainment dining experience. Levy’s diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants, iconic sports and entertainment venues, and convention enters as well as the Super Bowl, Grammy Awards, PGA Championship, US Open Tennis Tournament, Kentucky Derby, and NHL, MLB, and NBA All-Star Games.
Prior to the opening of the Barclay’s Center in 2012, the home of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders, Levy and other members of the stadium’s leadership team reached out to AHRC NYC (The Arc’s chapter in New York City), to determine how the arena could have the most positive impact for its constituents. After a brief conversation, a partnership was formed between chapter and employer to create a pathway to employment for people with I/DD.
Led by its senior management team at the arena, all of whom were excited to participate in the initiative, Levy’s team at Barclays Center began interviewing, hiring, and placing people with I/DD into jobs suited to their interests and career goals. By opening night of the arena, dozens of individuals with I/DD were seen, working side-by-side with their peers without disabilities in a variety of jobs.
Over the following six years, AHRC NYC would place 100 people into jobs with Levy at Barclay’s Center. The program’s success was then replicated at a concert venue in Nassau County, NY, where The Arc of Nassau helped place eight individuals in the arena’s opening staff. Levy continues to carry its disability-inclusive hiring values to its other sports and entertainment venues across North America.